ABSTRACT
The Kantians believe suicide is immoral because it is inconsistent with the principles of sanctity of human life and respect for persons. Kantians would argue that to commit suicide is inconsistent with our duty to ourselves because it is contrary to our natural instinct for self-preservation. Kantians believe we all have a strong innate desire to live. This one argument is similar to the traditional Judaeo–Christian one against suicide. In Judaeo–Christian cultures, suicide presents a difficult problem because our religious values have inculcated in us such a strong revulsion towards it. In the Kantian tradition, the rightness or wrongness of an action is determined by its accord with morally acceptable rules. A rule is shown to be morally acceptable if it can be consistently universalized, that is made into a rule valid for all rational agents. The Kantians would agree with the court’s decision because they think people have a right to be allowed to die.
