Quote:
Originally Posted by MiddleAgedAl
I never said make no effort to help at all, but I am suggesting that the amount of commitment you are willing to make to help someone who does not want your help is not, and should not, be the same amount of commitment that you should make for someone who would gratefully accept your help.
If the drowning person was my mother and father, and they wanted help, then of course I'd be very upset if no effort was made to try and save them.
If they didnt want any help and wanted to end it, then the finger of blame should be at least partially pointed at me for not offering the needed support earlier and letting it get to that point. Not the first responders fault that things have escalated, to such an extreme situation. Like the parents who blame a rock band if their child kills themself after listening to their music. Guess what folks, it's not the band's fault; obviously something went waay off the rails long before junior hit play on Nirvana for the last time, and the band isnt the guilty party there either.
My argument of course does assume that they knew of his intentions; if they had no way of knowing, and they still made no effort, then that definately is wrong !
My possibly harsh opinions stems from talking with a friend who works as a paramedic in a nasty part of town. I hear stories of them picking up the same damn crackhead every Saturday night, with a different set of stab wounds or OD symptoms, until eventually that person is DOA. How much money is wasted there, when that could be applied to someone who needs the help, wants the help ? Like it or not, we live in a planet of finite resources, folks. Allocating those resources poorly is in nobody's best interests.
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It doesnt matter what a suicidal victim wants, he/she no longer has the legal capacity to make a rational decision on his/her behalf, thus police or firefighters have to intervine and save his/hers life.
If you called 911 right now and told them you going to kill your self with a hand gun but you dont want them to arrive for another half an hour, they would be at your house in under 1min. Why? To try and save your life.