We are in the midst of an attempt to normalize suicide as a way of dying. Think, the celebration over Brittany Maynard’s death. Think media swooning over suicide parties. Think the increasing numbers of suicides/euthanasia deaths in locales where it is legal.
Switzerland exemplifies the trend. Assisted suicide rates are up 250% since 2009, and 26% in one year. From the Le News story:
In 2014, 742 people in Switzerland were helped to end their lives. This represents 1.2% of deaths for the year. 94% were over 55, and the vast majority were suffering from a serious terminal illness…
The most common reason behind assisted suicides was cancer, which accounted for 42% of the total. Cancer was followed by neurodegenerative (14%), cardiovascular (11%) and musculoskeletal (10%) diseases…
The number ending their lives without assistance in 2014 was stable at 1,028.
There is no difference between assisted and non assisted suicide. Suicide is suicide. Dead is dead.
It is also worth noting that people fly to Switzerland and pay a lot of money to be made dead, a phenomenon known as “suicide tourism.
Bottom line, once you accept suicide as a proper response to illness, disability, and aging, the numbers will always rise the more medicalized killing is normalized.