The ethics of suicide and suicide prevention

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.