The 1973 movie is set in 2022. Edward G. Robinson plays a detective who discovers the awful truth about a food staple called "Soylent Green." Unable to live with the knowledge, he enters a government run suicide parlor euphemistically called a "home." Surrounded by peaceful sights and sounds, he falls unconscious and expires. It was Robinson's last role: he died within days of final filming.
Fast forward 37 years to 2010. A Swiss clinic called Dignitas has assisted in over 1,000 deaths. Its founder, Ludwig Minelli, calls suicide a "marvelous possibility." Reverend George Exoo (aka "Rev'd Death") is a Unitarian minister in the U.S. who thinks anyone who desires suicide should be allowed to do it. According to George Pitcher of Telegraph Media, "He carries gas to his clients in a giant inflatable alligator." Australian Philip Nitschke ("Dr. Death") runs suicide workshops. Nembutal is his agent of choice and he happily explains it's available over the counter in Mexico. The states of Oregon and Washington have legalized assisted suicide.
How far we've come, and it's not even 2022. Yet.
Christianity sees suicide as a violation of the commandment "Thou shalt not kill." Like other biblical teachings there are practical reasons for it.
Suicides don't happen in a vacuum. Studies show that a successful suicide grants a sort of "permission" for others to follow suit. The number in the local area immediately rises as does the number of traffic deaths (some people kill themselves by crashing their cars). After Marilyn Monroe's death the national suicide rate spiked 12%.
The dynamic works in families, too. Famous heavyweight boxer George Chuvalo found one son dead of a self-inflicted shotgun wound and a second son refused help for an overdose, dying with the needle still in his arm. He found his wife's body with a suicide note.
Even when suicide within a family doesn't prompt others to do it, survivors are left with feelings of guilt, inadequacy and shame. We admire people who motor on despite their problems and show how faith and the human spirit can overcome adversity. But those who check out engender pity, not respect, leaving survivors with a legacy of weakness and hopelessness.
Some speculate whether St. Paul contemplated suicide during a stint in prison. He decided it was more important to spread the word of Christ than to entertain death, as enticing as that might have been. Like Paul, those with faith are able to endure distress with a grace and joy that's inspiring to others. Couple this with the wisdom and memories to be shared and it's apparent that prematurely ending life is a disservice to others.
Jesus taught selflessness, sacrifice, concern for others and the sanctity of life. Murdering yourself violates all of these. Suicide may release you from your problems, but it creates misery for those left behind. It's the ultimate selfish act, one that Mr. Minelli, Rev'd Death, Dr. Death, Oregon and the State of Washington may be treating too cavalierly.
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