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From: hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath)
Newsgroups: net.suicide
Subject: Re: rational approach
Message-ID: <71@ttidcc.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 6-Jan-86 20:19:20 EST
Article-I.D.: ttidcc.71
Posted: Mon Jan  6 20:19:20 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 7-Jan-86 07:01:39 EST
References: <57@ttidcc.UUCP> <1032@utcs.uucp>
Reply-To: hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath)
Organization: The Cat Factory
Lines: 34
Summary: 

In article <1032@utcs.uucp> flaps@utcs.UUCP (Alan J Rosenthal) writes:
>In article <57@ttidcc.UUCP> hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath) writes:
>>I've listened to a lot of  stories  from  suicidal  people.  Many  of  them
>>seemed  rational  and  thought  out,  but it was my job to try to keep them
>>alive and I did.
>
>Hm... seems to me that you are talking about a select group of people, based
>on the fact that they are phoning a suicide prevention centre.  It seems to
>me that phoning for help is acknowledging that your 'rational' reasons might
>not be so rational after all.  I think that even if you can't think of any,
>you would probably acknowledge that there could be a rational reason for
>suicide.
>
>Do you agree?

On all points, with a qualification.  I can  think  of  other  reasons  for
phoning  a suicide prevention center besides questioning the rationality of
one's decision (e.g.:  Leaving a message, saying goodbye, etc.).

The entire ethics of suicide prevention is based on the assumption that the
act of calling the center is a cry for help.  The legalities are based on a
court decision which stated, in part, that "A cry for help is a summons  to
rescue.".  In answering that summons one is allowed some lattitude in areas
of the law concerning privacy and trespass. (The actual  case  concerned  a
man  injured  on railroad property while rescuing another man injured in an
accident).

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe)
Citicorp(+)TTI
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.             Geniuses are people so lazy they
Santa Monica, CA  90405           do everything right the first time.
(213) 450-9111, ext. 2483
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