Commentary

Target murder or suicide?

I have an article on reasononline about Click it or Ticket ( or “CIOT,” as the cool kids call it): Who’s the bigger threat to your safety, a murderer or someone who attempts suicide? The answer is obvious, and we’d certainly jeer any mayor who suggested lowering a city’s death toll by cracking down on suicides. Yet something strange happens when death comes to the highway. Politicians lock arms with law enforcement, and come up with campaigns like “Click It or Ticket,” which began Monday and aims to reduce highway fatalities through stricter seat belt law enforcement. Suddenly, the murder-suicide distinction vanishes, and it’s perfectly acceptable to reduce deaths by punishing those who put only themselves at risk. Read the whole thing here. In other seat belt news, Hoosiers support tougher laws. In other suicide news, the 9th Circuit upheld assisted suicide in Oregon.