Re: “Fence won’t do much to deter suicides” (letter, 12-23).
It is a myth that those seeking to end their life by jumping off the Aurora Bridge in Seattle will go elsewhere if there is a fence to stop them. Numerous other cities have installed suicide fences on bridges with a high suicide rate and have not seen suicides increase elsewhere in the area.
The Aurora Bridge is the second deadliest “suicide bridge” in the country; only the Golden Gate has a higher suicide rate.
Many local suicide prevention programs, such as the Youth Suicide Prevention Program and the Washington State Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, have stated their support for Seattle Friends, a group whose mission is to eliminate suicides from the Aurora Bridge.
As a survivor of suicide (the term used to describe those who have lost a loved one to suicide), I am appalled that someone would say it is a waste to make that effort to save lives. I would give anything to have been able to stop the suicide death of my brother John. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among both the very young and the elderly.
I encourage those interested in being more informed about this issue to check out the Web site www.seattlefriends.org. For those who have experienced the heartbreaking loss of losing a loved one to suicide there are Survivor of Suicide support groups in Olympia, Tacoma and Auburn. For more information about these groups, go to www.auburnsos.com.
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