Suicide Contagion

by Wesley J. Smith

Recent studies suggest that in places where assisted suicide is legal, both assisted suicides and unassisted suicides increase. Continue Reading »

19 May 2022

The Dangers of Abandoning the Terminally Ill in Suicide Prevention

by Wesley J. Smith

Excluding the terminally ill from suicide prevention campaigns is discrimination and a form of abandonment. Dying isn’t the same as being dead; it is a stage, albeit a difficult stage, of living. Continue Reading »

2 Sep 2016

Suicide at the Oscars

by Lauren Schuhmacher

This year two films on suicide took home Oscars: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 for best Documentary Short Film and The Phone Call for best Live Action Short Film. Both speak with quiet eloquence about the power of love in the face of death.

16 Mar 2015

The Historical Kevorkian

by Wesley J. Smith

I am often asked for interviews by students who are writing papers about the assisted suicide issue. I am always happy to oblige. Most ask why I oppose assisted suicide and whether I think guidelines can prevent the slippery slope. But, the other day, I was contacted by a high-schooler writing a paper about something I had never considered: the historical significance of Jack Kevorkian. Continue Reading »

9 Jan 2015

Invisible Suicide Prevention Week

by Wesley J. Smith

When I was practicing law full time from the mid 1970s into the 1980s, there was tremendous on emphasis suicide prevention.  Hotlines proliferated, anti suicide billboards were ubiquitous, and a great deal of attention was paid to the issue throughout society.Then, the assisted suicide movement . . . . Continue Reading »

9 Sep 2011

To Prevent Suicide: Keep in Touch

by Wesley J. Smith

This makes so much sense. According to the World Health Organization, keeping in touch with suicidal people after they were initially treated, saves lives. From the story: In its latest bulletin, the U.N. agency said 85 percent of suicide attempts took place in developing countries. Worldwide, it . . . . Continue Reading »

2 Sep 2008

Treatment for Depression Reduces Suicide Attempts

by Wesley J. Smith

This story is quite pertinent to the trend among some in society to dismiss suicide prevention as paternalistic, and to promote assisted suicide for even the mentally ill. Treatment for depression reduces suicide attempts:The study, in the American Journal of Psychiatry, involved an analysis of . . . . Continue Reading »

13 Jul 2007