Let's give New Jersey a huge standing ovation for leading the nation by passing the first-ever suicide prevention law!! As an added bonus, three Rupublicans led the way with this bill. Fantastic!
Essentially, what the bill will do is consolidate and co-ordinate state resources and raise awareness to the issue. Small step, maybe, but certainly a step in the right direction. It's believed that Tyler Clementi's suicide in September of 2010 pushed them to action. Whatever it takes.
What is needed, now, is for the other 49 states to follow New Jersey's lead. It's time. We're living in a time where suicide is the third leading cause of death of those between the ages of 15-24. That's ridiculous.
The danger here, of course, is that people will become complacent once again, with the thinking that "everything is going to be fine..." now that a law is in place. Not the case! The law will help. However, we all need to continue what has become a very strong, dedicated effort to reverse this alarming trend. As a person who's been trying to bring attention to this situation for well over a decade, I can tell you that what's going on right now is genuinely heartwarming. Around the globe, ordinary people are making extraordinary efforts to make a difference. Slowly, but surely, it's paying off. Now, we all just have to keep doing what we're doing. Relentlessly. Until there are no more families force to bear the burden of wondering what they could've done differently to save their loved one.
Thank you, New Jersey, for your leadership.
No comments:
Post a Comment