Because the founders of this country said that the protection of innocent human life is the most important reason for the existence of human government. They called the right to life "unalienable," which had a very specific meaning in European property law. It all belonged to the sovereign, and was only lent to the occupant by that sovereign. It couldn't rightfully be taken from you, and you couldn't rightfully give it away.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men..."
This is the first principle of America, upon which our republican form of government and our liberty are premised.
This is why suicide has always been illegal in this country. Your life belongs to God, who is the Sovereign, not to you. And the state, which in America means the sovereign people collectively, governing through their representatives and duly-appointed officers, has a sworn constitutional duty to protect that life, the life of every single individual.
By the way, throughout history, when this cornerstone precept is abandoned in human societies, all hell breaks loose.
Abandon the self-evident truth that all men are created, and created equal, and respect for innocent human life, the lives of those who are made in His image, is the first thing to go. And then liberty simply melts away in the wake of that folly. All of human history is a record of the truth of what I'm saying.
That’s a very insightful response. You took the basic lessons we all learned in elementary school, and applied a much deeper level of understanding.
Excellent post!