To talk openly about feeling suicidal, especially to your doctor, can obviously be extremely dangerous. The solution, is to only talk about suicide by referring to the desire to access a legal MAID program. So far, MAID (medical assistance in dying), is available in 11 countries around the world, to approx. 280 million people.
The main reason why safe and humane assisted dying programs are currently NOT available in every country, and are only available to a very limited number of people who fit strict criteria, is because so many people are afraid to speak up, for fear of being institutionalized. This also applies to people who are simply seeking help, and want to recover.
This needs to change, and quickly. Dangerous and unassisted suicide is currently the number one cause of death for human beings under the age of 35 WORLDWIDE. Obviously what the world is doing now to address the issue of people who are suffering intensely is not working. People need to feel comfortable about talking about their pain, especially to their doctor(s).
Most people who are feeling suicidal can recover, but the odds of this happening go down dramatically if they are afraid to seek help. For adults who have tried for years, and feel they will never recover, access to legal and humane MAID programs must be expanded to include ALL adults who are suffering intensely, not just those who are terminally ill. It's barbaric and cruel, that societies around the world would never even think of allowing an animal to suffer, and yet believe that human beings should be forced to, for decades.
In pioneer days (1800-1910), ending just over 100 years ago, the average lifespan of a human being was only in the range of 30-40. Before that for thousands of years, it was even less. It's only in the last hundred or so years that medical advancements have extended our lifespan to what it is today. The medical industry is extending this limit continuously to far beyond what is considered natural.
If we're all extremely healthy and happy for this entire span of time, them everything is just great, no problem at all. However, the reality is that this is rarely the case, especially once climbing into the upper years. In fact, only 10-15% of us will end up dropping dead instantly. This means that 85-90% will end up suffering in some form or fashion. Once the word gets out about this fact, the vast majority will realize that this will be the reality for THEM, at some point in their life.
80, 90, or 100 years is a very long time to live, and to expect EVERYONE to make it this far without any major, chronic, long-term suffering is absolutely ridiculous. The human body is far too fragile for this to be reality.
Many people say they don't expect to see major changes in assisted dying policies in their lifetime, but the reality is, major changes have already happened in many countries, and this is just the beginning. In some countries, there is already talk of expansion as well to include more people. This process is happening now, it just needs to be sped up dramatically.
I personally believe the solution is very simple, talk about MAID. Avoid discussing illegal suicide, unless it's in a safe place such as this forum. People cannot be locked up for discussing legal programs that are being implemented in countries all over the world. Human beings cannot be expected to suffer for years on end, when we would never even think of allowing this to happen to a pet or a farm animal.
There are many important issues that need to be addressed in this life, but IMO this issue should be at the very top of the pile.
The main reason why safe and humane assisted dying programs are currently NOT available in every country, and are only available to a very limited number of people who fit strict criteria, is because so many people are afraid to speak up, for fear of being institutionalized. This also applies to people who are simply seeking help, and want to recover.
This needs to change, and quickly. Dangerous and unassisted suicide is currently the number one cause of death for human beings under the age of 35 WORLDWIDE. Obviously what the world is doing now to address the issue of people who are suffering intensely is not working. People need to feel comfortable about talking about their pain, especially to their doctor(s).
Most people who are feeling suicidal can recover, but the odds of this happening go down dramatically if they are afraid to seek help. For adults who have tried for years, and feel they will never recover, access to legal and humane MAID programs must be expanded to include ALL adults who are suffering intensely, not just those who are terminally ill. It's barbaric and cruel, that societies around the world would never even think of allowing an animal to suffer, and yet believe that human beings should be forced to, for decades.
In pioneer days (1800-1910), ending just over 100 years ago, the average lifespan of a human being was only in the range of 30-40. Before that for thousands of years, it was even less. It's only in the last hundred or so years that medical advancements have extended our lifespan to what it is today. The medical industry is extending this limit continuously to far beyond what is considered natural.
If we're all extremely healthy and happy for this entire span of time, them everything is just great, no problem at all. However, the reality is that this is rarely the case, especially once climbing into the upper years. In fact, only 10-15% of us will end up dropping dead instantly. This means that 85-90% will end up suffering in some form or fashion. Once the word gets out about this fact, the vast majority will realize that this will be the reality for THEM, at some point in their life.
80, 90, or 100 years is a very long time to live, and to expect EVERYONE to make it this far without any major, chronic, long-term suffering is absolutely ridiculous. The human body is far too fragile for this to be reality.
Many people say they don't expect to see major changes in assisted dying policies in their lifetime, but the reality is, major changes have already happened in many countries, and this is just the beginning. In some countries, there is already talk of expansion as well to include more people. This process is happening now, it just needs to be sped up dramatically.
I personally believe the solution is very simple, talk about MAID. Avoid discussing illegal suicide, unless it's in a safe place such as this forum. People cannot be locked up for discussing legal programs that are being implemented in countries all over the world. Human beings cannot be expected to suffer for years on end, when we would never even think of allowing this to happen to a pet or a farm animal.
There are many important issues that need to be addressed in this life, but IMO this issue should be at the very top of the pile.
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