Suicide And The Law: Is It A Crime?

Suicide is no longer considered a crime in many countries, including the United States, where it was previously treated as an immoral, criminal offence against God and the Crown. However, some US states still list attempted suicide as a crime in their criminal statutes, and assisting suicide is a crime in all US states, except in the case of physician-assisted suicide, which is legal in some states. Suicide is also considered a crime in other parts of the world, and while a person who has died by suicide is beyond the reach of the law, there can still be legal consequences for their family members and in the treatment of their corpse.

The act of suicide is influenced by a combination of social, cultural, biological, psychological, and environmental factors, and it is often associated with mental disorders, particularly depression and alcohol use disorders. It is the third leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds, and effective prevention requires a public health response involving multiple sectors of society, including education, labour, agriculture, business, justice, law, defence, politics, and the media.

Suicide is no longer a crime in the US, but some states list attempted suicide as a crime

Suicide is no longer considered a crime in the United States, however, some states have listed attempted suicide as a crime in their criminal statutes. Suicide is defined as the intentional taking of one's own life.

In the past, suicide was a crime in the US, and in many other parts of the world. In ancient Athens, for example, a person who died by suicide was denied the honours of a normal burial. Their corpse was buried alone, on the outskirts of the city, without a headstone or marker.

In the US, the act of suicide was never a statutory criminal offence, but common law perceived it as an immoral, criminal offence against God and the Crown. The common law offence of felo de se was used to punish people who had attempted suicide and their surviving relatives.

In the late 1960s, 18 US states had no laws against suicide. By the late 1980s, 30 of the 50 states had no such laws, but every state had laws declaring it a felony to aid, advise, or encourage another person to commit suicide. By the early 1990s, only two states still listed suicide as a crime, and these have since removed that classification.

In 2019, a bill in Virginia to decriminalise suicide attempts failed to pass, and has not been reintroduced as of 2019. As of 2019, suicide is illegal in Maryland, and has been prosecuted at least ten times between 2009 and 2019.

In the US, assisting a suicide (when someone helps another to commit suicide) is a crime in all states, with physician-assisted suicide being an exception to this rule in some states.

Assisted suicide is a crime in all US states, except when it's a physician-assisted suicide

Suicide is no longer considered a crime in the United States; however, some states have attempted suicide listed as a crime in their criminal statutes. Assisted suicide, on the other hand, is a crime in all US states. Assisted suicide refers to the act of helping another person take their own life. In some states, however, physician-assisted suicide is an exception to this rule.

Physician-assisted suicide is when a terminally ill adult is prescribed barbiturates, which they self-administer, to end their life if they feel they are suffering significantly. This is also referred to as "medical aid in dying" (MAID) and is currently legal in eleven US jurisdictions: California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Montana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

The laws in these states state that:

> Actions taken in accordance with [the Act] shall not, for any purpose, constitute suicide, assisted suicide, mercy killing, or homicide, under the law.

This means that while the act of helping someone die by suicide is prohibited by statute in 42 states, and by common law in an additional six states and the District of Columbia, medical aid in dying is an exception.

The punishment for participating in physician-assisted death varies throughout the other states. For example, in Florida:

> Every person deliberately assisting another in the commission of self-murder shall be guilty of manslaughter, a felony of the second degree.

In Wyoming, there is no recognition of common law crimes, and there is no statute that prohibits physician-assisted suicide.

The debate surrounding assisted suicide and its legality is complex and multifaceted. While some argue that assisted suicide should be decriminalised, others believe that it goes against medical ethics and causes pressure on terminally ill patients.

In some countries, suicide is still considered a crime

Suicide is no longer considered a crime in many countries, including the United States. However, in some countries, suicide is still considered a crime. For instance, in the United Arab Emirates, anyone who helps someone commit suicide in any way is subject to incarceration. In addition, if the person who attempts suicide is under 18 years old or has limited mental capacity, it is considered an aggravating circumstance, and the helper can be sentenced to death or life imprisonment.

In some countries, suicide attempts have been decriminalized, but assisting suicide remains illegal. For example, in the Central African Republic, it is a serious offence to intentionally help, advise, or incite someone to commit suicide, punishable by one to three years in prison. Similarly, in the Republic of the Congo, anyone who induces, helps, or provokes another person to commit suicide is liable to a term of imprisonment of two to five years.

The act of suicide has not been criminalized in the penal law of the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, it is illegal to ask someone to kill oneself or to threaten to kill oneself while in prison. In addition, assisting in suicide is considered a crime under the cyber crimes law of Iran if it involves the use of computer or media networks.

While suicide has been decriminalized in many countries, the act is almost universally stigmatized and discouraged. The prevention of suicide has not been adequately addressed due to a lack of awareness and the taboo in many societies to openly discuss it. Globally, the availability and quality of data on suicide are also poor, which further hinders effective prevention strategies.

In some contexts, suicide can be an extreme expression of liberty

Suicide is no longer considered a crime in many parts of the world, including the United States. However, in some countries, suicide attempts are criminalized and carry legal consequences. In certain contexts, suicide can be viewed as an extreme expression of liberty, as seen in ancient Rome, medieval Japan, and the present-day Tibet Autonomous Region. In these cultures, suicide may be used as a form of dissent against perceived tyranny or injustice.

Historically, suicide was perceived as an immoral and criminal act against God and the state. While it is no longer a crime in most places, the act of suicide is still stigmatized and discouraged. The decriminalization of suicide is a relatively recent development, and some countries are still in the process of removing legal penalties for suicide attempts.

The philosophical and ethical debate around suicide is complex and multifaceted. Religious philosophies generally condemn suicide, while non-religious stances tend towards toleration or even laudatory views in certain circumstances. From a utilitarian perspective, the calculation of utility is challenging, as the relief of personal suffering through suicide may be outweighed by the grief caused to others.

Libertarianism and other philosophical stances assert that individuals have the right to choose between life and death, rejecting the notion that suicide is inherently irrational. They argue that suffering is unnecessary and that suicide can provide an escape from intolerable pain.

In summary, while suicide is no longer a crime in many jurisdictions, it remains a highly controversial and emotionally charged topic. The decriminalization of suicide reflects a shift towards recognizing individual liberty and autonomy in end-of-life decisions. However, the potential for suicide to be utilized as an extreme expression of liberty underscores the complex and multifaceted nature of the issue.

Suicide is decriminalised in many countries, but the act is still stigmatised and discouraged

Suicide has been decriminalised in many countries, but the act is still stigmatised and discouraged. While a person who has died by suicide is beyond the reach of the law, there can still be legal consequences regarding the treatment of the corpse or the fate of the person's property or family members. In some countries, suicide attempts are criminalised, and assisting a suicide is also dealt with by the laws of some jurisdictions.

In the past, suicide was considered a crime in England and Wales until 1961, and in Ireland until 1993. In ancient Athens, a person who died by suicide without the approval of the state was denied the honours of a normal burial. A criminal ordinance issued by Louis XIV in 1670 intended to be far more severe in its "punishment" ritual of an obviously-already-dead body: their corpse was drawn through the streets, face down, and then hung or thrown on a garbage heap. Additionally, all of the person's property was confiscated to deter suicide by punishing their heirs financially.

In recent years, there has been a move in various countries to decriminalise attempted suicide. Since the introduction of the Suicide Act of 1961 in the United Kingdom, decriminalisation was not followed by an increase in suicide rates. This is in contrast to Sweden, where suicide rates rose after suicide prohibition laws were repealed. It was thought that medical and police practice did not alter overnight, and the law had already been poorly adhered to before 1961 in the UK.

It can be argued that decriminalising suicide attempts may increase the suicide rate since there would no longer be any legal deterrent. However, criminalising suicide attempts may actually encourage people to use more lethal methods to end their lives, instead of surviving their suicide attempt only to face imprisonment or having to go through the court process, on top of all the other existing societal stigma commonly faced thereafter. On the contrary, official suicide rates may unfortunately increase due to lower rates of under-reporting.

Decriminalising suicide may decrease overall suicide rates because individuals at risk of suicide would be more willing to seek help from the community and from mental health professionals, enabling early interventions for preventing suicidality. The lengthy history of suicide as a criminal offence may still have a substantial contemporary effect on how it is regarded and conceptualised in today's society, despite the fact that criminal law has a strong religious foundation.

In 2019, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that there were over 700,000 deaths from suicide in the world, with an estimated suicide rate of 9.0 per 100,000 per year. Reducing the global suicide mortality rate by one-third by 2030 is the sole target for the mental health field as outlined by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the WHO's Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2030.

In 2020, the WHO's 13th General Program of Work 2019–2023 included the same indicator, aiming for a reduction of 15% by 2023. Globally, efforts to decriminalise attempted suicide are ongoing in many countries. Despite the fact that many western countries have repealed criminalisation, only several countries in Southeast Asia have repealed or are in the process of repealing criminalisation of suicidal attempts.

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