Transportation or Suicide?

I've been saying this for years and it's satisfying to see the technical world come around to my interpretation.

Is the transporter in Star Trek a suicide machine? If my molecules are disassembled, sent substantial distances, then reassembled then I have, in fact, died and been reborn. Or to think of it another way, I have died and a copy of me has been created.

Taking my body apart, atom-by-atom, is the definition of death. The transporter operator of a star ship has been killing people for a living.

I first came across this idea in an obscure science fiction story in the 60s, the name of which I've long ago forgotten. In the story, we send unmanned space craft to distant planets where they automatically build transporter receiver units. Once assembled, we begin transporting people and construction materials on the target planet.

It's a great idea only ... wait for it ... the people have to be willing to die and an echo of her or him is created on the distant world. That was the drama of that particular story.

I've proposed this dilemma to my family from time-to-time and the response is, "Shut up Dad. It's just a story."