by Anthony Megna

Created on: June 26, 2008   Last Updated: May 21, 2012

The horror of people jumping out of windows. Let's never forget what happened on 9/11....

No, don't get the wrong idea, the terrorists weren't justified by using suicide to further their aims. There were a bunch of people trapped around 100 stories up in the twin towers. The buildings were a raging inferno, and they couldn't make their way down by elevator or the stairway. Their only options were to stay were they were and burn to death or knock out the windows and jump. Of course, if there were another way to end it such as a gun or poison, then that would be another option. What would you do? Would you rather burn or crash? Is this justifiable suicide if you jumped?

Although this is unimaginable to think about, this is true as we all know. Did the jumpers commit a mortal sin in the catholic sense? I think not. Would the insurance companies pay their life insurance because they willingly took their own lives? They had better and I think they would. I could be wrong because nothing surprises me anymore, but I hope I'm not. If people want to call this suicide because they jumped, then so be it. But I believe it is justified. Technically, since those people didn't really know if the fire department was going to put out the fire before they burned to death, then jumping was their last conscious act. It was something they could do to escape the hell they were trapped in. They made the conscious decision to take their own lives. They certainly weren't going to survive the fall. But this is justified in my opinion. And I don't think there is a person on this earth who would say any different.

On the other hand, someone who is depressed or just doesn't feel like living anymore for whatever reason and decides to kill him or herself, well, that is not justified. It is just a big cop-out. Everyone has to face life's struggles and to just kill yourself is not the answer. In fact, conquering your struggles makes one stronger.

How about the seriously ill? Should they pull the plug or get a Dr. Kevorkian? They have some pretty potent drugs on the market today that can take away all the pain. I even believe that heroin is legal in Great Britain for the seriously ill. So there is no reason for anyone to suffer pain from illness. Even if the prognosis is six months to live, suicide is just not the answer. Of course, this is a personal decision. But I believe that it is very rare to justify suicide.

There are those occasions when it is justified, so that is why I believe it can be justified. Such as the terror attack in New York, jumping is technically taking your own life. What if there was some miracle where the firemen could have put out the fire within a few minutes? As I had previously stated, I don't believe the victims knew the up-to-date info on where the situation was at. But I wholeheartedly agree with their decision.

So, in summary, suicide can be justified on the most extreme occasions. This is what I believe and everyone must face their own mortality on this earth at some point. The question then becomes, do you want to interfere with it?

Learn more about this author, Anthony Megna.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.