Suicide should be legalized.

If I no longer want to walk the earth, I have the right to kill myself. Otherwise, I might commit other crimes just to get the death penalty. I feel like that'd be doing society more good than bad.

I have the right of life, but not the right of death? Come on...

(thanks for the debating thing. I'll be on for a while, so I want to finish this debate today, so I'll answer quickly)

I thank my opponent for this interesting topic.

My opponent makes an interesting point. We have the right to life, but not the right to death. This is a very compelling and interesting statement, but I believe there is several reasons that make this statement negligible.

1. Suicide most often goes in hand with mental illness.
Suicide is not an option most people with a stable emotional life and mental capacity consider. Suicide is most often the result of prolonged depression or an extremely traumatic event. It is rarely taken under consideration in normal circumstances. For this reason, suicide is not a legal option that can be considered by a jury or judge.

2. The causes for suicide are treatable.
Depression, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and many other causes of suicide are treatable. Given time and effort, people may be able to get over these afflictions, and therefore suicide may no longer be an option. If suicide is legalized under law though, it can be argued that helping people get over those afflictions is actually a violation of their legal rights. For this reason, suicide should not be considered a legal option, for it will only dissolve the chances of preventing the tragedy.

3. The cultural impact would allow people to think suicide is acceptable.
Legalizing suicide would only allow the culture of teen suicide to grow. Suicide is not an acceptable means to escape your problems. Counselling, pharmaceuticals and support are the way to help get over depression and many other issues affecting lives. Suicide only allows for family and friends to dissolve into tragedy, and possibly even break apart. For this reason, suicide should not be a legal option.

Thanks again to my opponent for this topic, and I await his rebuttal.

(You're welcome. I had a difficult time with my rebuttal, because you made some very good points. Kudos)

1. Suicide is often linked with many mental illnessess, however, this person may never get over these illnessess. This person may be assigned to suffer in an asylum, hospital, or some other thing. It is inhumane treatment to make someone suffer.

2. The causes may be treatable, but does the pain ever go away? Pills can not take back the memories of the trumatic event, they just FORCE you to feel a certain way. I do not think it's right to force someone to live an force them to take pills so they can not just be themselves. Like a plastic Barbie doll....unfeeling. It takes away from life and if I can't enjoy life without my real emotions, why live?

3. Many people think that the death penalty is unacceptable, because it takes away life, and yet many states allow it. It does not have to be accepted by the public for it to be allowed.

4. People with mental illnesses are very likely to commit a crime, and if they are sucidal, then they could be a time bomb waiting to go off....literally. Why risk the public's health? You did not answer that I might commit murders just to get the death penalty. (sure they could kill themselves, but they may want attention or something)

I thank you for your rebuttal and you have also made some good points, however I believe my argument still stands.

1. A person may never get over a mental illness, but clearly they do not have the capacity to choose whether or not to live. Treatment has come a long way since the days when we performed electro-shock therapy on those with mental illness, or perceived mental illness, and treatment centres are far more qualified to diagnose, treat and help those with mental illness. Suicide does not have to be an option due to the fact that there is this humane, direct help. Whether or not someone may get over a mental illness or depressive phase, there is options outside of suicide available to allow those people to feel comfortable with themselves, and allow them to join in with the rest of society.

2. The pain may never go away. A fact of life is that traumatic events will always stay with you and a mental illness may never actually leave. But suicide is not the answer. Counselling and pharmaceuticals are an effective treatment that will help people live with their afflictions. There has been many cases of people who have lived through a mental illness and have gotten treatment and are now effective members of society. One example is the many cases of eating disorders throughout the world. All too often these end in tragedy, and an eating disorder will never leave a person. But with the right counselling, therapy and help a person can learn to live with their disease. This is a prospect that is much more welcome than suicide, which only furthers a person's tragedy.

3. It is not legal for me to kill someone and deprive the presence of that person to their family and friends. The same should be considered for suicide, for it has the same result. Legalizing is will be akin to legalizing the pain and anguish that murderers inflict on families. That is why legalizing suicide against the wills of the people makes no sense. It contradicts our laws set in place, and in fact contradicts the stated purpose of law. To prevent tragedy and punish those who commit crimes.
To note, there is no law against suicide. It is not legal nor illegal. This is because it is contradictory to legalize it, and immoral to punish.

4. I did not address this because it is not a situation that seems likely and makes no sense as it is also in contradiction to your statement for the rest of the argument.
Most people that are suicidal are not 'ticking time bombs', and the few that are have a stated history of mental illness. The Virgina Tech Massacre perpetrator had selective mutism and severe depression, and Marc Lepine, the perpetrator of the �cole Polytechnique massacre, was abused as a child and was known to have several anxiety disorders. The failure of government services to help counsel and control their illnesses illustrates my point that treatment is the best option.
But despite the fact that these people may be a threat to society and the popular argument may be to legalize suicide to stop them, the government has a right to refuse, just as they have the right to legalize suicide despite it being against the popular opinion. Marc Lepine may have been a terrible person, and he may have been suicidal, but legalizing suicide does not help him. We lost a person who may have been a contribution to society had he gotten the help he needed. We may lose many, many contributions to society because of legalized suicide. The odds are too great.

So I hope I have made my case why suicide should not be legalized. Any disorder can be treated when people get the proper help. Suicide is not the only option, but legalizing it will only reinforce the idea that it is.

Thank you to my opponent for this wonderful debate.