For some, choosing to die is an act of courage, not despair. A civilised society must allow space for that choice, says Bob Scott.

Around 2,500 years ago, the author of Ecclesiastes would appear to have been feeling somewhat world-weary when he concluded there was nothing new under the sun. Perhaps he had endured a particularly hot time of it that day, or maybe it was proving tricky to extract an adequate supply of ink from charred seashells, or the quality of the papyrus was not up to scratch. Whatever it was that provoked his cynicism, he was accurate. Much of what happens today is as it was then and probably always has been. Life expectancy in the part of the world in which we live is approximately three times that experienced by ancient desert dwellers. Nonetheless, death still comes about as the result of accident, suicide, homicide or natural causes. New words need not be concocted to describe the mode of our demise. The existing system of classification covers all eventualities. However, an examination of what lies behind one of those mechanisms is now required. We are conditioned to view the taking of one’s own life as a dreadful mistake and a tragedy. When this is due to serious mental illness, or profound emotional disturbance, how could it not be?

It is the few remaining instances which challenge our understanding, those carried........

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