Political Quotes

“every year, thousands of youth die in the United States, not from cancer or car accidents, but by their own hand, they make the choice that they want to die, and they take their own life. Statistics show that suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among those 15 to 25 years of age, and it is the 6th leading cause of death among those 5 to 14 years of age. 5 year old children, killing themselves! But it's the truth. Statistics show that more than 13 of every 100,000 teenagers took their life in 1990, and that number's rising every year. Many think that these are isolated incidents, but they aren't. It is estimated that 500,000 teenagers try to kill themselves every year, and about 5,000 succeed. In my home State of Alaska, suicide is the greatest cause of death among high school age youths. In fact, Alaska's suicide rate is more than twice the rate for the entire United States. Recent studies have shown that girls are more likely to report suicide thoughts, plans, and attempts than are boys. Among Alaskan girls, 24.9 percent have seriously thought about suicide, 20.5 percent have made a plan for suicide, and 10 percent have reported a suicide attempt. Among Alaskan boys, 12.5 percent have seriously thought about suicide, 10.8 percent have made a plan for suicide, and 5.3 percent have reported a suicide attempt. Alarmingly, Alaska Native teens attempt suicide at four times the rate of non-Native teens.”