Time to fly; time to die
In 2017, 1.4 percent of global deaths were from suicide, and in some countries, this share is as high as 5 percent. In 2017, the highest rate of suicide (5 percent) occurred in South Korea, 3.9 percent in Qatar, and 3.6 percent in Sri Lanka. The countries with the lowest suicide rates are Greece (0.4 percent) and Indonesia (0.5 percent). Switzerland has been a popular destination for suicides since 1942.
Germans represent 44 percent of foreign-nationals paying others to get help them commit suicide. In addition, a large number of UK suicide seekers (21 percent) register at a Zurich-based “suicide clinic” earning it the “death tourism” tag. “To live with dignity – to die with dignity,” is the slogan of the famous Swiss organization, Dignitas (started in 1988) whose goal is to help patients commit suicide; however, it is an offence to assist a suicide if it is done with selfish motives.
The promotion for the organization highlights the fact that help can be obtained by any person who suffers from an incurable illness or permanent disability and wants to voluntarily end their life. The main reasons for deciding to die were neurological diseases (47 percent), cancer (37 percent), and rheumatic and cardiovascular diseases (Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Zurich). The organization had participated in 3,248 cases of assisted suicides by the end of 2020 (fluxtrends.com). The cost of an assisted death in Zurich, Switzerland, runs between US$9,040 – $21,000 and includes air, accommodations, food, and organizational fees.
In the Netherlands, euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal if the patient is enduring unbearable suffering, and there is no prospect of improvement. Anyone from the age of 12 can request this, but parental consent is required if a child is under 16. In addition, the doctors must consult with at least one other independent doctor on whether the patient meets the necessary criteria.
In Belgium, prospective candidates for suicide must meet with a doctor several times over a period of months to ensure that the application is voluntary, well-considered, and without outside pressure. The applicant must also be experiencing unbearable and unrelieved physical or psychological suffering. It is estimated that the cost is approximately $3,500 (The Guardian). There were 2,357 cases of euthanasia in 2018 which equates to about 6 per day.
Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, and Colombia allow euthanasia and assisted suicide; however, there are differences. Only terminal patients can request assistance in Colombia, and in Belgium there are no age restrictions for children with a terminal illness.
In Spain (2019), parliament legalized euthanasia and physician assisted suicide. Since 2019, the Australian state of Victoria permits assisted suicide for terminally-ill adult patients with fewer than 6 months to live, or one-year in the case of motor neuron disease and multiple sclerosis. Residency requirements and medical assessments from multiple doctors are mandatory and patients are barred from traveling from overseas or other states to access the euthanasia laws in Victoria.
International suicide landmarks
o In San Diego, California, the Coronado Bridge (200 feet) is a popular suicide spot. From 1972 – 2000, over 200 people jumped to their deaths from this structure.
o The Humber Bridge, UK, (near East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire) registers an average of 7 suicide jumps per year. Between 1981 (when the bridge opened) and 2007, approximately 200 people fatally hurled themselves into the waters below. The 98-foot drop makes death almost certain.
o The Sunshine Skyway Bridge (opened in 1987) in Tampa Bay, Florida, has chronicled 207 suicides (through 2009) where jumpers fall into the Tampa Bay. The bridge has averaged 9 suicides a year from 1999 to 2009.
o The West Gate Bridge in Melbourne, Australia, (opened in 1978). Police reports find that one person every 3 weeks leaps to their death from the 190-foot-high bridge.
o Beachy Head in East Sussex, England, is the destination for approximately 20 people who kill themselves here every year.
o Niagara Falls, on the border of Ontario and New York, finds that approximately 20-25 people leap into the waters each year. From 1956-1995, this was the site of 2,780 known suicides.
o The South Head peninsula in Australia is the focus of the continent’s top suicide spots. The Gap is a steep cliff overlooking the Tasman Sea and each year approximately 50 people select to end their days in the water below.
o The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge in China is one of the most notorious suicide hotspots in the world. Between construction in 1968 and 2006, 2,000 people took their own lives at the bridge. It is estimated that around once each week someone make the 130-foot leap to death. The number is only approximated since the Chinese authorities do not count those who missed the river, the ones who leaped but landed in trees along the riverbank or on the concrete apron beneath the bridge or were found emerged in the earth – two feet from the rushing water.
o Another nearby popular suicide Chinese spot that also crosses the Yangtze River is the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge which is the site of an estimated 25 suicides each year.
o San Francisco, California’s Golden Gate Bridge is described as the most popular suicide spot in the world. The 75-year-old structure has witnessed more than 1,500 (known) suicides since it opened in 1937 with an average of one suicide every 2 weeks.
o The Aokigahara forest (Sea of Trees), Japan, has a death toll that is so great that local police have blanketed the forest with signs urging people to reconsider. By 2003, the suicide rate was reported as high as 100 per year. In 2010, it was reported that 247 people tried to kill themselves (54 successfully).
o The Aurora Bridge (aka the George Washington Memorial Bridge), Seattle, Washington, opened in 1932 and over the years it has become a popular place from which to jump. Since 1932, it is estimated that more than 230 people have committed suicide from the bridge averaging 5 each year between 1997 and 2007.
