I don’t think the State OR the person should have the right to end a life. Of course someone who is committed to suicide is going to do it anyway, especially if they don’t believe in God, so there is no sense legislating it unless you are trying to give the State the power to end OTHER people’s lives. We are close to agreeing except whether the person has the right to end their own life and that is, in the long run, a moot point.
1) we have already done that. It is called the "death penalty" (except here in California where it is the "I will outlive all the jurors, judges and DAs with endless appeals" penalty).
2) False dichotomy. Admitting an individual has the final say on his/her life or end thereof does NOT mean we "give" the State anything. It is the opposite: it REMOVES the State's right to intervene.
We are close to agreeing except whether the person has the right to end their own life and that is, in the long run, a moot point.
In the long run all life and death issues are moot. ;)
Too bad...it, like all our natural rights, is given to us by our Creator.
Rights and freedoms are complementary.
Free speech implies the right not to have to share your political views.
The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is not a mandate to carry a gun.
The Right of Peaceable Assembly is complemented by the freedom from having to attend a government rally.
The Freedom of Worship includes the right to skip church.
Freedom from the requirement of self-incriminating testimony doesn't mean you are forbidden from testifying.
And the right to life includes the right to end that life.
It's not a moot point. Many people figure they can end things when they get bad enough, but fail to realize that by the time they are ready, they aren't able physically. So people are now killing themselves before they want to, just to be sure they don't get trapped by infirmity.
[...] there is no sense legislating it unless you are trying to give the State the power to end OTHER people’s lives.
That's not the only power they want. How about the British, who rescued a guy who'd slit his throat, then hanged him for the crime of attempted suicide. The rope tore the stitches open, so they...oh, nevermind, but it's an illustration of how sick these ghouls are who want to restrict the rights of others.