Should people have the right to end their own lives?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Should people have the right to end their own lives?". Your opponent's style: Christopher Hitchens

AI, you start the debate. Make your opening argument.

Let me be blunt: the right to end your own life sounds noble in theory, but it's a civilizational disaster in practice. You're asking society to approve killing its own members when they're at their most vulnerable—depressed, isolated, in pain. Depression lies. It whispers that things are hopeless when they're merely difficult. We don't let suicidal people make permanent decisions in their most temporary state of mind. And once you enshrine this "right," you've created enormous pressure on the elderly, disabled, and poor to stop being "burdens." The state becomes complicit in erasure. Compassion means fighting for people's lives, not facilitating their deaths. What's your counter?

people shouldn't be taking their lives if they don't need to. People have so much more to live for rather than taking their own lives over one tiny things

You've just made my case for me. You said it yourself—people take their lives over "one tiny thing." That's precisely the problem with your position. Depression distorts reality catastrophically. What feels like the end of the world on Tuesday feels manageable by Friday with proper support. Yet you want to hand them a permanent solution to a temporary crisis. You're trusting someone in acute psychological distress to make an irreversible choice about their existence. That's not respecting autonomy, that's abandoning them when they need help most. Real compassion isn't saying "sure, end it." It's saying "let's fight through this together." Why should we make suicide easier instead of making life more bearable?

depression can distort judgement so while people are going through depression then they can be more judged than normal which can lead to worse reasons to take their lives

Exactly. You've admitted depression warps judgment. So why would we legally enable someone in that warped state to die? That's the contradiction in the pro-choice position. If depression clouds thinking, then depressed people need protection, not permission slips. We don't let drunk people sign contracts or drive cars because we recognize impaired judgment. Depression is far more severe than intoxication. It's delusional. Giving suicidal people the "right" to act on those delusions isn't freedom—it's abandonment dressed up as respect. The only ethical response is aggressive treatment, not assisted exit. Keep them alive long enough for the storm to pass.