Re: “Fence won’t do much to deter suicides” (letter, 12-23).
The writer is correct that those who truly wish to die will find a way to do it. However, suicide prevention measures are never a waste of time or money.
Most suicide “attempts” are, in reality, desperate cries for help. A person in that state of mind may very well see these measures as that last chance. A sign with a crisis line on it may be what pulls them back from the edge of their own self-hatred.
I am one of those people the writer called “mentally disturbed.” Many years ago, a net placed in a position to make suicide more difficult helped me make the decision to try to get help instead of giving up. I saw the net and thought maybe that it was a sign from God to keep fighting it.
Suicide fences save lives, as do any other preventive measures. I’m very sorry if the writer feels that those people’s lives are not worth saving.
