Should all severely mentally ill people be killed

Thank you for responding, I'm excited to talk this over with you. Just so you know, I've recently taken part in a debate on a similar topic, so if it seems relevant, I may copy and paste certain paragraphs onto here. These are all arguments that I wrote- I'm not copying anyone else's arguments. You presented two main points: that mentally ill people are a threat to society and hurt others, and that killing them will put them out of their misery. I'm going to go over each of these points individually and discuss why both of them fail to stand under scrutiny. 1. MENTALLY ILL ARE A THREAT It's true that people with mental disabilities will be more mentally unstable, and for a few people, these will lead to violence. But only about 3-5% of gun violence can be tied to mental disorders. [1] Most people with mental disorders are rarely violent, and we can't judge everyone by the small percentage of people that are. To put everyone in jail simply because of this small percentage would be inhuman and cruel. Much of the American judicial system is based on the belief that, as William Blackstone said, "It is far better than ten guilty people go free than one innocent man is convicted." [2] I do understand, however, that mentally unstable people will be more prone to violence, and I don't deny that fact. When people's minds aren't fully functional in the way that ours are, they can do things that someone in their right mind wouldn't do, including violence. However, I do not believe that killing them should ever be an answer to that. There are so many beautiful people in the world with unique personalities and a beautiful way of seeing the world that also have a mental illness. My uncle is one of them, and he wouldn't hurt a fly. Mental illness CAN be treated. It can never be completely cured, but there are ways to prevent it from affecting a person and grounding them further in real life. [3] Putting mentally ill people in prison would be to deprive them of a future. It would show them that they are invaluable and worthless just because of their disability. But they are not. [4] They are still people, and they still have emotions and desires and plans for a future, just like any of us. To deprive them of that simply because of something that they were born with is absurd. [5] 2. MENTALLY ILL PEOPLE MUST BE PUT OUT OF THEIR MISERY You are right that many mentally ill people will have a hard time coping with their misery, and will sink into depression [6]. However, I am wholly unconvinced that death should ever be an answer to this. Mentally ill people can find happiness and hope, and putting an end to their supposed "pain" will only cause more grief among family members, and deprive them of any future and life. Many mentally ill people have had the chance to recover in amazing ways and find a happiness that should never be taken away from them [7] [8] [9]. And for the mentally ill who are depressed and suicidal, this does not mean that we should encourage this behavior. Mentally ill people deserve respect and love, just like everyone else. To kill them would be curel and inhuman. Their voices must be heard, and we must show that we understand, and that we will be by their side as they fight back against the darkness. [1] http://www.amhca.org... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org... [3] http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net... [4] https://lifehacker.com... [5] https://www.usatoday.com... [6] https://counselorssoapbox.com... [7] https://www.nami.org... [8]http://www.massmed.org... [9] http://mentalhealth.com...