Japan gripped by suicide epidemic

Many people refuse to recognize the connection between suicide and assisted suicide.

The primary indicator for requests for euthanasia or assisted suicide is depression or a feeling of hopelessness. This happens to be the same primary indicator for suicide attempts.

The recent phenomenon of suicide promoting websites that offer instructions and in some cases counseling to encourage someone to commit suicide further connects suicide to assisted suicide.

Some of these suicide promoting/counseling websites are operated by groups that exist to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. One of those website operators is Dr. Philip Nitschke from Australia.

This is a significant problem in Japan. If you read the article from the link you will notice that Japan has a suicide epidemic that has been worsened by the suicide websites.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk:80/tol/news/world/asia/article4170649.ece

On May 1, I reported about a call for internet providers in Japan to block access to suicide websites in relation to the surge in suicides in Japan.
http://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/2008/05/internet-providers-urged-to-remove.html

This has also become a problem in the UK. If you link to one of my previous blog posts you will notice that the problem of suicide websites has become so prevalent in one region of the UK that the government is discussing strenghtening the law to shut-down these websites.
http://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/2008/06/uk-government-discussing-closure-of.html

I am convinced that these websites have a similar effect on society as legalizing assisted suicide. Suicide promotion/counseling websites prey on the vulnerable who are either depressed or feeling a sense of hopelessness.

Often these people have been marginalized in society or made to feel like they are a burden on society or feel like they have no one who cares for them or no reason to live.

More often these are people who are experiencing clinical depression or treatable mental conditions. These are the people society needs to protect.

Vulnerable people are also the ones who become victimized by euthanasia or assisted suicide. Undiagnosed depression is a common problem. Just because someone has a terminal or chronic condition, does not mean that their request for euthanasia or assisted suicide is not a cry for help in a difficult personal time.

These websites need to be shut-down on a world-wide basis. The purveyors of these websites need to be prosecuted in a similar manner as people who are circulating child pornography.

These websites directly effect the most vulnerable in society and they must be stopped.