psychiatrist Hoche as a means of distinguishing psychopathological suicides from voluntary death. It signifies a clear and deliberate choice to terminate one's life in order to avoid the consequences of even worse circumstances. Several empirical studies indicate that about 70 percent of all suicides are connected with depression; about 30 percent could clearly be called voluntary deaths (Pohlmeier, 1985, p. 118).
This is an important distinction. Many objections to a right to die are founded on experiences in preventing a pathological suicide. Medical or psychiatric intervention frequently can reverse a person's suicidal tendencies and adjust the person to a normal, healthy life. The successes from such intervention are often cited as evidence that suicide is unjustifiable. There can be little disagreement with this argument - on the condition that only pathological suicides are being discussed. Suicide is not a justifiable response to temporary disorders that potentially may be corrected by intervention. The inability of the suicidal patient to perceive and understand alternative options means that the decision to terminate life is not a calculated and balanced decision. In essence, it is not an expression of free will. Nevertheless, there are many instances in which suicide is indeed a voluntary death - a deliberate, well-informed, rational choice. It is this categ
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