"Why I don't regret my abortion"

They're not mutually exclusive, it is simply that people who enjoy their lives typically lack reasons for ending their life. But it's not unheard of for someone to resolve to commit suicide when they reach their 80th birthday; not because they aren't enjoying life but because they don't want to experience the degradations of extreme old age. Or an antinatalist might be happy with their own life, but not want to tacitly support the endeavour of perpetuating the species by remaining alive.



It's an imposition of the parents' values and what they deem to be worth the risks. And in cases where children are born with severe disabilities which causes them to be in constant pain and have no chance of independence, then that is a very serious penalty that the child will have to pay for their parents' selfishness. Or anyone else who just happens not to share the mindset that life is always worth the risks.



If the possibility of experiencing joy is the only thing that matters, and the risks for the child are irrelevant, then you should be condemning childless adults for refusing to bestow that 'gift' upon a new life. Moreover, it is normally not acceptable to unilaterally gamble on someone else's behalf just because in your subjective view, the potential rewards are worth it. For example, suppose someone else was able to steal your banking details and had the ability to clear out your bank account of all funds without seeking permission. They intend to make a gamble with the money that they have stolen, but if they win, they intend to pay you back a little more than what they stole to begin with. Is that a fair and reasonable proposition?




And there would not be any problem with the fact that there was no preference and no ability to act on a preference. Nobody thinks of the universe's state before the existence of sentient life as being a grand tragedy because of all of the life forms that are missing out on life. But plenty of people who are alive now lament their circumstances and having been brought into existence.



If that were the case, there would be no botched suicide attempts in which the attempter leaves themselves with serious injuries. There would probably be some 'cry for help' attempts where some teenager swallows a handful of pills, but there would be nobody inflicting serious violent harm on themselves and surviving. I know many suicidal people and there are many who are searching for that foolproof, painless and easily accessible method of suicide that allude to. Usually, suicide attempts end up messy and there is often collateral damage to the lives of others. One such tragic example:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3149218/Van-driver-swerved-avoid-Clarke-Carlisle-dead.html

That's one death that would likely have been avoided with state assisted suicide. And such a system would likely save many suicidal people, who would be able to get access to psychiatric assistance without fear of being imprisoned against their will, and incentivised to receive help by the fact that there is a pathway to end their suffering, one way or another.



There is plenty of evidence of examples where a golden opportunity transpires to have been concealing a trapdoor underneath. With assisted suicide, there is no evidence of any trapdoor lurking on the other side of death. There is no evidence that anyone who has completed that act can rue the decision.



The universe before sentient life was a place without joy or satisfaction. And there was no problem with that, and nobody thinks of that time of being a time of great tragedy. Those who are not predisposed to irrepressible optimism should also have the right to have their philosophy validated.