The Moral Taboo against Suicide

I’ve been watching as people react to the self-immolation suicide protest of U.S. airman Aaron Bushnell. What has been interesting is seeing people who are normally committed to an unfettered “right to die” struggle with the fact that acts like Bushnell’s clearly present the threat of social contagion, potentially inspiring the depressed to kill themselves rather than seek help and solace.

We have undergone many decades of dismantling the moral taboos against suicide. It was once considered one of the most serious mortal sins, and suicides were very often denied Christian funereal rites or resting places in Christian cemeteries.