UKC

I came across this tragic news item
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/10/18/he-said-it-wo...

I am surprised this isn't a bigger story as, aside from the basic "is it murder if the person wants to die?" question, it touches on mental health and euthanasia issues amongst other things. The description of the girl as an impressionable minor was interesting, as if it would be different if she'd been 18. And is he not also clearly impressionable - can that be a mitigating circumstance , another variation on the classic "insanity plea"?

I am not sure what to make of it.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Hard to tell from a single news story. Going on the article alone it sounds like he's been the driving force behind the suicide, rather than merely assisting. It's not as if she was unable to kill herself due to infirmity or incapacity. It reads like the manipulation of a vulnerable person into killing themselves purely for the thrill of it.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Fairly shocking story.
A huge amount of blame has to be laid with the man. She was clearly suffering and as a decent human he should of done everything in his power to help prevent the suicide.
Having lost a close friend this way in the last year I find it really sick that someone would take enjoyment in helping another person take their own life!

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Surely the question is more "Should this sort of behaviour require the attention of the law?" There's a whole lot of contextual information that makes the difference in a given case of "person a enables person b to end their life." We don't have the full facts in this one as yet but it seems right to me that it's brought to court. We don't know what will be decided, but it seems right to me, in the absence of formal organisations to provide a service equivalent to Dignitas, that when someone takes this course of action that what happens is thoroughly investigated to prevent abuse.

If it was 'legal' in this country their would be checks and balances, proper processes and trained staff to ensure that, for example, you weren't being coerced into your course of action and that you were in the right frame of mind. It wouldn't be your 18 year old mate doing to the DIY store and driving you to a field.