Discussion Silk Road Vs. Suicide Sanction Debate

[Sleeper System]

I encourage you to listen to the audio file but feel free to read the post if it's an inconvenience.





View attachment Audio Transcription 01.mp3



Today, I decided to listen to a documentary about Ross Ulbricht. For those of you that don't know... he was the founder of the infamous dark web market place known as "Silk Road". An off the reservation website where it was possible to buy illegal contraband such as drugs, guns, hitmen, etc... utilizing bitcoin as payment.



I bring this up because this website, in the eyes of the mainstream public, draws a lot of parallels to the silk road. Due to the unregulated buying and selling of illegal product, many peoples lives were effected negatively. People died from knock off chinese drugs, murdered by hitmen, and many other unsavory things. They see Suicide Sanctioned as a mirror image of that site and are actively trying to shut it down.



The public had this perception that if the website didn't exist... then the "victims" would never have had the ability to aquire the resources that ultimately caused so much damage. In the trial, Ross's lawyers tried to make the case that these people were willing participants and not victims, which I agree with, and that there were other mainstream websites where people also did illegal transactions naming facebook amounst other well known platforms. The judge dismissed these claims stating that the evidence presented revealed silk road actively encouraged and facilitated illegal activities on many fronts where as sites like facebook did not.



So I ask the community... where do you stand on this issue? The fact of the matter is that promoting a suicide attempt is a felony in the eyes of the law. What constitutes "promoting"... seems to be vague at best and left to the interpretation of the judge, which I think seems very bias.



I believe with all my heart that this site is an unconventional answer to a problem that the goverment is not ready to address yet. The law is so governed by christian religious values... that assisted suicide will always be a moral issue.... and nobody wants to be the one responsible for the level of backlash that may come with such legislation. I also believe in personal responsibility... and that's where i'm conflicted... I'm greatful for this site and for the founders... and moderators... that made it become such a safe place to discuss these complex issues... However... if the day ever comes where they... or even we... as users... and contributors of this site... come face to face with the law... I hope they can be empathetic with us and not judge us too harshly. The world is a different place now and the struggle is only getting worse. The more likely outcome is they throw the full force of the law at us with no regard for anything this place truely stands for..... like empathy, understanding, acceptance, and the knowledge of methods to end life peacefully... and on ones own terms...

I'm sorry... but some of us simply... can not wait... for the government to catch up... with the times... We have to find our own way.



Thanks for reading or listening to my rant.

 

[Lulzacruel]

I think we will be on the right side of history.

 

[Sleeper System]

I think we will be on the right side of history.

I agree. One day, if it ever becomes legal, they well tell stories of what occured here.

 

[SilentSadness]

I bring this up because this website, in the eyes of the mainstream public, draws a lot of parallels to the silk road. Due to the unregulated buying and selling of illegal product, many peoples lives were effected negatively. People died from knock off chinese drugs, murdered by hitmen, and many other unsavory things. They see Suicide Sanctioned as a mirror image of that site and are actively trying to shut it down.

But wanting to die is not the same as selling illegal drugs or murder. It's just not that deep and most people here are just looking for a suicide method at least. SN isn't even illegal and it's been restricted purely to deny suicidal people the death they're trying to achieve. Suicide is not illegal either, although suicidal people are mistreated and forcefully locked up in psych wards.

 

[certified_idiot]

We're not selling anything illegal. Anyone who joins this site does it knowingly. Anything they do is their choice.

 

[Sleeper System]

We're not selling anything illegal. Anyone who joins this site does it knowingly. Anything they do is their choice.

View attachment V02.mp3

 

[SVEN]

It's just a pro choice site for discussion of many issues involving life and death. I've yet to see anyone who posts here being advised to go out and kill themselves, often quite the reverse.
Often just being able to come to a safe group like this and articulate pain and distress provides its own therapeutic help and comfort.

 

[Forever Sleep]

Maybe the most controversial part of this website is that it provides reasonably detailed information on how to take your own life. I guess it troubles even me that maybe that side of things is open access to all. (Isn't it? Or- do you need to be a member?) Of course- that wouldn't stop minors lying to set up an account to get at it but at least then- some of the culpability falls on them.

Still- sorry but if it's minors everyone is so worried about- their parents should be using parental locks to block sites they think might hurt their children. I'd say becoming tech savy is a prerequisite for those wanting to be parents in this day and age. Besides- they ought to be aware that their children are suicidal in the first place! Once people are adults though- personally, I think we ought to be able to make our own choices.

I'd argue that this place doesn't exactly encourage suicide though. It certainly doesn't prevent it fervently either. It's simply a safe space in which people can talk about their own feelings and come to their own conclusions.

Still- it isn't selling the products. It actually discourages people from sharing sources publicly. Plus- this information is available elsewhere. I found out about SN via The New York Times article. There was even a police report with photographs of the kit a man had bought from the dark web- including the antiemetics he used! They were being far less cautious than here and that's the police! Maybe amounts would be more difficult to ascertain but I'm sure they are somewhere. I suspect there are versions of the PPH around that industrious people can get hold of. Should they ban that because it might fall into the 'wrong' hands?

Besides- you don't need a website to jump off a cliff or a bridge or in front of a train. I imagine hundreds of thousands of people have managed to kill themselves without accessing the internet.

Yes and no really though. Sure- some people likely wouldn't risk the more brutal methods- jumping, train, hanging. I suspect it's possible that if those people hadn't found out about something like SN or inert gas- they may still be here. They may just as easily have swallowed a bunch of pills and be suffering even more with major organ failure though. Plus- would they suddenly be ok and happy? I doubt it. They'd still be suffering most likely. Depends what these pro-lifers want. Would they prefer us to still be alive but with life changing injuries because an unreliable method was used? Do they even care that their loved ones are desperately unhappy or in pain- so long as they are alive?

 

[IWishToDie]

If there's one thing I hate, it's censorship of ideas and restrictions on freedom of speech. It's a value i hold above all others.