Life is essentially a given to the human person. This gift
constitute the primordial right of every human person, thus one talks about his
rights when the right to life is firstly secured. Given its primacy, everyone
is called to the preservation of life. However, people make attempts against
life; the most irresponsible of it all is when individual persons make attempts
on their own life which they are primary custodians of. The personal attempt on
one’s own life is suicide. Suicide can be defined as intentional self-inflicted
death with evidence that the person intended to die.[1] Suicide is lethal violence. Suicide
constitutes a serious public and mental health problem. Thus the right to life
does not suppose that one can decide to take his life. While everyone has the
right to life, no one have the right to suicide. The value placed on human life
precedes the individual himself. The most valuable thing
we have is our life. Though it is vulnerable and fragile, unique and limited by
its possibilities; nonetheless, it is the only one and ultimate. Humans, being
self defensive, have a natural will to live. Therefore anyone one with a desire
against one’s own life is not a usual or ordinary case. However on this paper
concerns itself with suicide and the value of human life.
WHAT IS SUICIDE?
Suicide is the act of man against
himself. It is death caused by injuring oneself with the intention to die.
However, a suicide attempt is when someone harms themselves with the intent to
end their life, but they do not die as a result of their actions.[2] Suicide is associated with several risk
and protective factors; it is connected to other forms of injury and violence,
and causes serious health and economic consequences. For example, suicide risk
is higher among people who have experienced violence, including child abuse,
bullying, or sexual violence.Other characteristics
associated with suicide include a history of suicide attempts and lack of
problem-solving skills
“Suicide is used by Durkheim as a means of demonstrating the key impact of
social factors on our personal lives and even our most intimate motives.
However suicide is a complex phenomenon, but it is preventable and must be
prevented especially because of the value of life. Even so, every 40 seconds a person dies by suicide somewhere in
the world and many more attempt suicide. Suicides occur in all regions of the
world and throughout the lifespan. Notably, among young people 15-29 years of
age, suicide is the second leading cause of death globally.[3] Suicidal behavior is a
leading cause of death and disability worldwide.
The WHO in her report remarks that “Suicide impacts on the most
vulnerable of the world’s populations and is highly prevalent in already
marginalized and discriminated groups of society. It is not just a serious
public health problem in developed countries; in fact, most suicides occur in
low and middle-income countries where resources and services, if they do exist,
are often scarce and limited for early identification, treatment and support of
people in need. These striking facts and the lack of implemented timely
interventions make suicide a global public health problem that needs to be
tackled imperatively.[4] Social, psychological, cultural and other factors can interact
to lead a person to suicidal behaviour, but the stigma attached to mental
disorders and suicide means that many people feel unable to seek help. Despite
the evidence that many deaths are preventable, suicide is too often a low
priority for governments and policy-makers.Restricting access to the means of
suicide is a key element of suicide prevention efforts. However, means
restriction policies (such as limiting access to pesticides and firearms or
putting barriers on bridges) require an understanding of the method preferences
of different groups in society and depend on cooperation and collaboration
between multiple sectors.[5]
CAUSES OF SUICIDE OR
SUICIDE ATTEMPTS
This question itself
presupposes another. Should the present state of suicide among civilized
peoples be considered as normal or abnormal? Suicidal behaviour among young
adults is a significant social and psychological problem; however, little
research explores its meaning from the suicidal individual’s perspective. A
qualitative study identified common themes and personal meanings that
characterized the experiences of young adults who had made one suicide attempt
between ages 20 to 24. Six major themes identified were (a) family experiences,
(b) adolescent interactions, (c) emotional experiences, (d) self-destructive
behaviours, (e) depression, and (f) perception of control. Suicidal attempts
were viewed from the perspective of a continuous process that encompassed the
individual world view and experiences rather than as isolated events.[6] Understanding suicidal behaviour from a singular perspective is
likely inadequate because psychological, interpersonal, and existential
components contribute significantly to the interpretation and meaning given by
an individual to their life experience; interpretations are unique and
multifaceted. Understanding suicide and suicidal behaviour as multi-determined
provides a broader spectrum from which to develop effective intervention
strategies and therapeutic interventions. Suicidal behaviour is hypothesized to
be a compilation of a painful situation, a constricted cognitive state,
overpowering emotions, and disturbing relationships, and is conceptualized as
adjustive but not adaptive. The distressed individual perceives suicide to be
the last available option. Death provides a solution to end the conscious
awareness of pain.[7]
THE VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE
AND SOLUTION TO SUICIDE
Life is a complex journey
viewed through different lenses. However, each lens acknowledges the primordial
value placed on life. The claim that human
life is valuable, even sacred, has its foundation in God’s creation of
humankind: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created
him” (Genesis 1:27). This truth imparts extraordinary value to every life,
independent of gender, race, socioeconomic position, age, or health
status.Those who hold to biblical creation must attach great worth to human
life and will stand in its defense.Our creation in God’s image is at the heart
of the biblical injunction against murder: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by
man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man” (Genesis
9:6). By placing His mark upon humankind, God clearly established His own
authority over human life and holds accountable those who would usurp it.[8] Life is a sacred gift, and
suicide is a desperate act by one who views life as intolerable. Such
self-destruction is never condoned, but faith communities increasingly support,
rather than condemn, the person who contemplates or engages in suicidal
behavior. They acknowledge that mental and substance use disorders, along with
myriad life stressors, contribute significantly to the risk of suicide. And
they reach out compassionately to the person who attempts suicide and to
families and friends who have been touched by a suicide or suicide attempt.
This increasingly charitable understanding finds agreement between the historic
precepts of faith and a contemporary understanding of illness and health. It
renders no longer appropriate the practice of harshly judging those who have
attempted or died by suicide.[9]Although there has been substantial progress in the development of
efficacious treatments for a variety of mental health concerns, such has not
been the case for suicidal behavior. Indeed, while intervention efforts for
suicidal behavior have increased considerably in recent decades, no
corresponding decrease has been observed in the prevalence of these phenomena.
ANTHROPOLOGICAL ISSUES
AT STAKE
Suicide, by definition, is fatal. Suicide also affects the
health of others and the community. When people die by suicide, their family
and friends often experience shock, anger, guilt, and depression. The economic
toll of suicide on society is immense as well. People who attempt suicide and
survive may experience serious injuries, such as broken bones or organ failure.
These injuries can have long-term effects on their health. People who survive
suicide attempts can also have depression and other mental health problems.In
addition to the number of people who are injured or die, many other people are
impacted by knowing someone who dies or by personally experiencing suicidal
thoughts. Additionally, being a survivor or someone with lived experience
increases one’s risk of suicide.[10]There is a large societal consensus
about the inviolability of life. This is founded in the Western philosophical
and religious tradition; specifically the thinking of Aristotle and Thomas
Aquinas In this tradition there are three ethical arguments against suicide: it
is an offense of man against him or herself, against society and against God.
In the first place, suicide is an offense against one’s own life because people
have a natural tendency toward self-preservation.[11] People naturally want to live and
strive to preserve their lives.
ETHICAL
EVALUATION OF SUICIDE
Is there an
unconditional obligation to live, how far does the duty reach to safeguard
life, and how does one deal with the tension of suicide? Self-preservation of
life belongs to natural law. The inviolability of life, however, remains a
generally acknowledged and fundamental value. Preservation of life, therefore,
is an ethical good, while suicide is an evil. Suicide is fundamentally an
expression of a person’s existential quest for meaning. Existential refers to
people’s existence or life. People face life in a certain way and their aim is
to find and experience meaning in life.[12] When the meaning of life is lost, life
itself can become an unbearable and hopeless suffering. Such suffering
demoralizes people and makes them feel desperate. To get rid of their agony,
they sometimes see no other way of escape than by dying by suicide.
Suicide
contradicts the natural law of self preservation, and violates the divine
injunction to love oneself.[13] It is a moral violation of the law of
justice. John Paul II states that suicide “involves the rejection of the love
of self and the renunciation of the obligation of justice and charity towards
one’s neighbor, towards the community to which one belongs and towards the
society as a whole”.[14]
WHAT
DOES THE CHURCH SAY ABOUT SUICIDE AND HUMAN LIFE?
A summary of the church’s teaching on suicide is that we
should be mindful of our lives; the preservation of our lives, body and soul is
an obligation we all have. We are called to preserve and nourish both our
physical and spiritual life. Suicide violates a genuine love for oneself and
one’s neighbors– family, friends, neighbors, and even acquaintances.
Other people need us and depend upon us in ways we may not even know.
The Catechism asserts, “Everyone is responsible for his life
before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign
Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it
for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not
owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose
of” (CCC 2280). However, it is important to note that suicide is distinguished
from the sacrifice of one’s life for God or another, as in the cases of
martyrdom, or of offering one’s life or risking it to save another person.[15]
CONCLUSION
Suicide violates both natural and
divine law; an inordinate and immoral solution to suffering. It is a big
humanitarian problem that requires the cooperation of all to defeat. The
government needs to step up in the area of policy provision and implementation
to address the causative factors of suicide. Quality education should be
provided, the economy should be boosted and poverty eradication schemes should
be set up. Most importantly awareness should be created about the moral ills of
suicide; the sanctity and inviolability of human life should be re-emphasized.
Additionally, counseling centers should be made available for people going
through turbulent times in order to better help them in the management of
depression and mental challenges.
In terms of policy implications, there
are some obstacles to creating suicide prevention programs: (a) a lack of
financial resources, (b) a lack of time, and (c) a lack of training
opportunities. The role of the clergy is the missing link in the prevention of
suicide, especially intergenerational suicide, and raises a red flag for mental
health professionals, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, and social
workers. Although collaboration between clergy and mental health professionals
is essential for suicide prevention, many workers are overlooking the role of
clergy in suicide prevention.[16]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Pantaleon
Iroegbu – Anthony Echekwube (Ed), Kpim of
Morality Ethics; Genereal, Special & Professional, Heinemann
Educational Books Plc, Ibadan, 2005.
The Catechism of the Catholic church, Society of
St Paul, Ibadan 2015.
John Paul II. Vatican. Evangelium
Vitae. 25 March 1995. 19 March 2013.
The Journal of Inculturation Theology, Vol. 16
No.2, Faculty of Theology Catholic Institute of West Africa, 2019.
World
Health Organization, Preventing Suicide:
A Global Imperative, WHO Library
Cataloguing-in-Publication Data, Geneva 2014.
Jacobs
DG, Baldessarini RJ, Conwell Y, Horton L et al. Suicide behavior practice guidelines for assessment and treatment of
patients with suicidal behavior, American Journal of Psychiatry 2003
[1] Jacobs
DG, Baldessarini RJ, Conwell Y, Horton L et al. Suicide behavior practice guidelines for assessment and treatment of
patients with suicidal behavior, American Journal of Psychiatry 2003,
160:3, 60.
[2] “Violence prevention”, www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/suicide-factsheet.pdf (accessed
22 December 2020)
[3] World
Health Organization, Preventing Suicide:
A Global Imperative, WHO Library
Cataloguing-in-Publication Data, Geneva 2014, 3.
[4] Ibid,
[5] Ibid, 7.
[6]Robin
D . Everall, The Meaning of Suicide Attempts by Young
Adults, Canadian Journal of Counselling /
Revue canadienne de counseling /2000, Vol . 34:2, 1.
[7] Ibid, 2.
[8]General Presbytery in session,Sanctity of Human Life, Suicide and Euthanasia, August 9-11, PDF 2010, 2.
[9]Suicide Prevention Resource Center.
(2009). The role of faith communities in preventing suicide: A report of an
Interfaith Suicide Prevention Dialogue. Newton, MA: Education Development
Center, Inc., http://www.sprc.org/library/faith_dialogue.pdf
(accessed 22 December 2020)
[10]Chapman AL, Dixon-Gordon
KL. (2007) Emotional antecedents and
consequences of deliberate self-harm and suicide attempts. Suicide &
Life Threatening Behavior; 37(5): 543-552.
[11] Aquinas,
Thomas. n.d. Summa Theologica. IIa IIae, q. 64, a. 5. Ed. Available online:
http://dhspriory.org/thomas/ summa (accessed on 21 December 2020).
[12] Van
Knippenberg, Tjieu. (2002). Towards
Religious Identity: An Exercise in Spiritual Guidance, Assen, Van Gorcum,
pp. 95–116.
[13] CCC 2281
and 2325
[14]John Paul II. Vatican. Evangelium Vitae. 25 March 1995. 19 March 2013. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031995_evangelium-vitae_en.html,66.
[15] What is the Church’s teaching regarding suicide, https://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-is-the-churchs-teaching-regarding-suicide/ (accessed 27 December, 2020)
[16] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2158244013486992
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