To be born human is a great gift. To be born a fully formed, mentally sound human being is a miracle. A single person is capable of changing the world. Humanity is life working hard on reaching out to the universe.
That a single human can take his own life is a terrible loss of potential, the opportunity to improve countless lives for the better. Suicide is the end of a conscience. The end of the idea that is you. What’s left is memories, feelings and pain in other people’s minds.
Outlawing Suicides Does Nothing To Stop Them
The statesman’s approach to any problem of human suffering is to outlaw the act. For every single problem in world the legislator seeks to make something illegal. Sati? Wifes immolated on their husband’s graves? Illegal!
You will not escape the long arm of the law if you smoke in a public place.
Does this logic carry over to committing suicide? No. Someone contemplating suicide isn’t going to go “Oh! wait! suicide is illegal! I shouldn’t do it.”. They’re thinking “If I die, I don’t have to deal with this or anything else I can face, much less incarceration or a fine.”
Suicidal feelings are caused by a loss of hope and a purpose for living. Whatever thought or feeling made someone contemplate suicide the least of their problems is if they are going to prison. No one “attempts suicide” like I “attempt” to tie a boe tie. The intention is to “succeed” at the attempt.
Say, I am a farmer who’s had the misfortune of a failed crop. I’ve defaulted a loan. I am looking at spending the rest of my life working to pay off a loan which, even then CANNOT be paid off given the interest. After my whole life is over, there is nothing I would have done to improve my family’s lives. Being incarcerated is the least of my problems. I am leaving behind family, a wife and children who will be left to fend for themselves.
The fact that what I am about to do is illegal is the least of my problems.
The Law Says “If you try, make sure you die”
If you try to kill yourself, you will die. If you fail at that, you will go to prison. So what’s the intention of making a law that says suicide is illegal? To make sure that people try really hard and make sure they die if they do try to kill themselves? To make sure no one finds them in the act of committing suicide?
Is the intention to make sure people kill themselves with great success?
“If you fail, we’ll give you more reasons for trying again”
So basically the law tells the vulnerable and dejected that if you try to do it and you fail, we’ll shame you by sending you to jail in front of all your family and friends to add to your pain so don’t fail the next time you try.
The consequences people face for attempting suicide in India are appalling. Incarceration for up to one year and/or fine. Wow. More debt.
It is so easy to pass laws. It is something altogether different to try to solve the problem. It is very difficult and overwhelming to show compassion and sympathy.
The Right To Die CANNOT be “granted”
The Supreme Court has set aside its earlier judgment in P. Rathinam/ Nagbhushan Patnaik v. Union of India, JT 1994 (3) SC 392, wherein the Court had struck down section 309 as unconstitutional. In a country where one-half of its population still live below the poverty line, the right to die by suicide cannot be granted to any person.
Wow. So basically the logic goes that we don’t want people killing themselves. So what do we do? Not make reforms to improve their lives. We make laws to make their lives miserable if you fail to die while trying.
I just don’t understand where they get off saying the right to die cannot be “granted”. Was there ever a law passed granting me the right to have coffee, to take a leak in the open, to check out that girl? There is no “right” to be granted here.
The right to die cannot be granted.
That’s like trying to grand the sun the right to rise in the east.
Outlawing suicide is not a solution
Suicide isn’t like rape. Suicide isn’t burglary, public nuisance or pick pocketing. Every person involved is a victim here. The biggest victim is the “offender” themselves. It doesn’t make sense to aggravate the emotional pain of those who happen to survive a failed attempt. Last thing they need is the indignation and the pain of a indictment after whatever made them want to try to die.
The british who wrote the IPC have moved on to pass the Suicide Act. Sense seems to be increasingly prevailing throughout the world. Somehow the wind has skipped India.
Laws don’t prevent suicides, if that was the intention behind making the law. It only causes more needless pain and suffering.
What we need aren’t laws
What we need isn’t a way to punish or a deterrent. What we need is a way to heal. We need to address the common problems that incite people to try. Do something about farmer suicides in South India. I don’t know what. I am not a lawmaker. I don’t know what can be done. But someone out there has the means. All it takes is the intent and the will.
What’s needed is a change in attitude. A revolutionary way in the way people treat each other. Problems like high suicide rates, child labor are not going to go away by outlawing them. I hope some day we’ll have a leader who’ll be man enough to dare to tell their electorate to change their attitude.