Discussion Obsessed about suicide

[MAIO]

It's more complex than that - implicit in the statement is a value judgement on life (that it is good and worth the effort) that is problematic since it is never discussed. I believe that if there could be a rational debate on that issue, the stigma around suicide would reduce.

Stigma on suicide is slowly being reduced as time goes on at least in 1st world countries with Belgium and Sweden greatly expanding and public highly supporting the right to choose dr. Assisted suicide further than it is. All this extreme opposition to suicide started when monotheism declared suicide a crime against God etc. Without that value there is much less stigmatism.

 

[RM5998]

Stigma on suicide is slowly being reduced as time goes on at least in 1st world countries with Belgium and Sweden greatly expanding and public highly supporting the right to choose dr. Assisted suicide further than it is. All this extreme opposition to suicide started when monotheism declared suicide a crime against God etc. Without that value there is much less stigmatism.

Okay, so here's some stats I found:

1. 52.9% of Belgians are Roman Catholic (source), and 32.0% of the population is non-religious.
2. Sweden has 63.2% of its population affiliated to the Church of Sweden (source). Again, unaffiliated people clock in at 28.4%.
3. Switzerland has 36.5% Roman Catholic and 24.5% Swiss Reformed Church members (source), and unaffiliated people amount to 24.9% of the population.
4. The Netherlands is interesting, in that 50.1% of the populace is not religious (source). Christians comprised 43.8% of the total population and were divided between Catholics (23.7%), Dutch Reformed Church[a] (6.5%), Protestant Church in the Netherlands (5.7%) and Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (3.3%).
5. Luxembourg has a 67% Catholic population (source), and 20% is non-religious.

Now, on this website, we have info on the state of legislation on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in countries around the world.

1. The Netherlands was the first country to legalize euthanasia and PAS, and mental illness is a legal criterion. Decisions need to be made by adults - but the special case of minors between the ages of 16-18 can decide for themselves after their parents have been involved in the decision.
2. The Belgians were the second to legalize euthanasia and PAS, and again, mental illness is a legal criterion. Both adults and emancipated minors are allowed to apply. Death under such conditions is treated as death under natural causes for the purposes of insurance settlement.
3. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was the third country to legalize euthanasia and PAS, and 'psychological, social and spiritual suffering' like mental illness is considered as a valid reason. You don't need to be a citizen of Luxembourg for this, if your GP is Luxembourgian and you have had a sufficiently long relationship.
4. The Swiss don't allow euthanasia - instead, they legalized PAS, and that requires patients to do the deed themselves. Dignitas thus offers this option to people.
5. Sweden doesn't have provisions for either euthanasia or PAS - all doctors can do is stop medical support for those who are terminally ill upon request from them.

Well, the religious distribution doesn't seem to have an effect. but proximity to a country that has legalized the practice probably is. Seems like an interesting issue to delve into. I don't think there's enough data to make a call on what exactly causes this effect, so I'll refrain from making any further speculations.