Metaphysics anyone?

[STM1993]

(Note: I don't study law, this is strictly personal opinion)

The main thing about suicide is accessing the intent of the 'murderer' and the state of mind of the 'victim'. If I told any random person to kill himself and he does even though his mind is perfectly sound, he is committing suicide. If I told an insane, depressed, drunk guy to kill himself and he does, I'd be a murderer even if I didn't intend to - because in the first place why would I outright tell someone to kill himself? If I gave a person a false choice, I'd be a murderer. If I was under duress when I suggested suicide to another, strictly speaking I'd still be a murderer but context is important to determine if I can take the full blame.

I consider negligence to be murder; a lack of knowledge is not a valid excuse for wrongdoings. That's like a real criminal trying to plead insanity, and even if the criminal truly is clinically insane, he shouldn't be excused for outright having caused death. The only time something akin to negligence is accepted is if a person is proven to have attempted a reasonably accepted life-saving measure(ie: prayer is NOT acceptable, CPR or trying to talk it out is acceptable) but still failed in the process - the same way the Good Samaritan law works. That said, if you have someone who is actually trained to help like paramedics and a person get in their way, then that'd be obstruction of aid and that person can be considered a murderer.

Similarly, freak accidents would not count as murder or suicide for the matter - defined as death that resulted despite proper measures and assumptions taken to avoid it. So falling asleep while driving (even if suffering nacrolepsy unless that was the 1st instance the person suffered from it) would be negligence, but the brakes not working despite having checked them the day before and the driver having done what he could to avoid collision would be considered a freak accident.

The last case I can recall is assisted suicide or euthanasia. I consider it strictly suicide, but the main problem is trying to determine the victim's will, otherwise as with the 2nd paragraph, you can have doctors going around killing their patients and calling it euthanasia. Personally, in this case if a person's intent cannot be determined, his choice should be left to his closest caretakers(basically whoever's paying the bill), and failing any such relative, then the doctor should have the final say based on the probability of recovery and costs of not pulling the plug.