title: The ethics of suicide and suicide prevention.
abstract: Is suicide ever a defensible choice, particularly for the terminally ill?  The present article debates this difficult question, examining the relevance of such issues as the morality, rationality, and dynamics of the suicidal act, and the legitimacy of physician-assisted suicide.  Contrasting perspectives on these issues are articulated by two prominent suicidologists, as a spur to the reader's deeper reconsideration of the ethics of suicide and suicide prevention.
authors.affiliation: Center for the Study of Suicide, Blackwood, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lester
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Leenaars
mesh_terms: D028663:Ethical Theory; D005065:Euthanasia; D033101:Euthanasia, Active, Voluntary; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D028681:Moral Obligations; D009014:Morals; D026706:Paternalism; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D011788:Quality of Life; D012297:Right to Die; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology; D000092864:Suicide Prevention