It must be a Tuesday.

[sakon76]

...One of the downsides to being in the cremation industry is that every once in a great while we get a suicide call. Not the type where the coroners have pronounced suicide as the cause of death, but the type where the person on the other end of the line is asking for assistance or instructions for how to end their life. Because, after all, they've got things set up with us so shouldn't we be able to assist them with this...? <--their reasoning, not mine

I just really don't know how to deal with these kinds of calls. Emotionally or mentally. I can understand that there are situations in which a preferably quick and painless death seems a better option than continuing on. I feel that assisted suicide has its place. But I have no clue if it's legal in California, and hope never to need to know. I end up freezing; I have no idea how I even should respond to these types of requests. Fortunately the counselors in the office have suicide hotline phone numbers.

Comments

[elenisiliel.livejournal.com]

if you know their address or phone number, get 911 on the phone, or refer them to go to the nearest emergency room... or just hand them over to the counselors...

And no. assisted suicide is not legal in california (though I often wish it was... :P).