Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T04:11:01.260Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

10 - Conclusion: My Brother’s Keeper

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2024

Brian L. Mishara
Affiliation:
Université du Québec à Montréal
David N. Weisstub
Affiliation:
International Academy of Law and Mental Health
Get access

Summary

This chapter summarises the book, focusing on our analyses of ethical challenges based upon the three core ethical perspectives we presented in Chapter 1: moralist, libertarian and relativist. The moralists, who contend that suicide is always unacceptable and must be prevented, have occupied the mainstream position through a long period of history. Attacks on the moralistic point of view were highlighted in the twentieth century by the libertarian writings of such anti-psychiatrists as Szasz, who argued that all suicide prevention should be abandoned, and thereafter by more philosophical critics such as Foucault. Today, relativist approaches often predominate, where some people are seen as needing suicide prevention and with others, their wanting to die is ignored or facilitated, as in the case of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), euthanasia and assisted suicide. Suicide prevention should be seen as a central issue that has to be assessed alongside the anti-paternalism promotion of freedom of choice. The concern of this book has not been to find a middle ground. We have sought a social and moral conscience that mandates a duty to respond to suicide and the desire to end life prematurely, first and foremost, by responding to cries for help, rather than to a clarion call for freedom

Type
Chapter
Information
Practical Ethics in Suicide
Research, Policy and Clinical Decision-Making
, pp. 176 - 180
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×