Originally Posted by Pleasurepays

what i meant was more that peoples sense of loss is also a selfish emotion. other people valuing someones life is also a selfish emotion.

as human beings, the vast majority of our motives behind our thoughts and feelings and relationships with others are driven by selfish needs. if someone is schizophrenic, hearing voices and lives every day in absolute terror.. (as an example) it would be extremely selfish of others not to understand or support his wanting to end it.

you don't want someone you care about to die because of how that will make YOU feel... YOU will feel a sense of loss. YOU will grieve. YOU will be reminded that life is temporary and YOU will be reminded of your own mortality and you are arguing about how it makes OTHERS feel. all of that totally ignores what the individual who is dying wants, how he feels, whether or not he's suffering and so on. All that ignores the simple logic that it might have been the best solution. that the person is no longer suffering or even the simple fact that his/her life was her own to live or not live.

i'm not saying either side is right or wrong. i'm simply saying that the arguments against suicide and particularly that its selfish, ignores the simply fact that the argument itself is also rooted in selfishness and selfish motives.