Why is suicide against the law?

Not knowing the answer, can I add on to this question and ask why the families of military members who die of suicide don’t receive a letter of condolence from the president?

If you are trying to commit suicide you are committing a crime therefore the police have the power to arrest you and take you to a place of safety where you can get help.

As for the rest of your question i think it’s because friends and relatives are always mad with themselves that they didn’t see it coming and feel they let the person down, or that the person felt they weren’t able to come to them with their problems.

@Lightlyseared yes, but why is it a crime?

I get this crime.I asked why it is a crime.

Don’t so much think of it as “me killing myself” but rather “Haroot killing Haroot.” Taking a life, regardless of who it is, isn’t cool dude.

In fact, the victim of a homicide isn’t only the newly dead, but also that persons family. With suicide you’re making your own family and friends the victims.

The doesn’t really answer your question but just my two bits.

It makes no sense to me either. How can it be illegal to take your own life? And another thing I really don’t agree with is when insurance companies deny paying the spouse the life insurance money due to the fact that it was a suicide. If someone spends their entire life paying into a life insurance policy and they decide to off themselves, their family should not have to suffer. Why should they be denied the money?
I agree that everyone has a right to do what they want with their body. This is why I’ve never understood seatbelt laws. If someone doesn’t want to keep themselves safe from harm, that’s their issue. They aren’t hurting anyone else by not buckling up.

Revenue for the state?

wouldn’t surprise me.

I think it may be a state-by-state thing. There is no such law in California. You will probably have a lot more Bible-belt states with laws against suicide.

Have you ever heard of someone prosecuted for this if they lived thru the act?

In some cases, I’m glad it’s illegal for people to kill themselves, in other cases, I’m not so glad about it. For instance, I believe that if you choose to start a family, it should absolutely be illegal for one to kill themselves – at least until all children are 18 or older. Parents have an obligation to take care of and raise the children they chose to have, period.

However, if you haven’t started a family? Yeah, it should be legal to kill yourself. Like @holden mentioned, I think it’s probably illegal because of most people’s religious beliefs.

I answered this question before, but I’ll do it again cause I don’t mind. Suicide is illegal because if you fail, then they can use the law to get you psychological help. its that simple. has nothing to do with taxes or religion etc etc. Its to help people who need it.

isn’t it in the bible that its wrong?

Yeah, but so is homosexuality and thats not illegal.

Bible,,,no,,,I don’t have slaves either and I don’t stone homosexuals nor sell my daughters to horny old goats!!

Some countries – it’s not illegal.
Here’s a case in point:
Suicide is legal
and a snippet:
*Suicide is legal, helping someone to die is not. Must the law be changed?

Debbie Purdy and Michael Wenham, both living with terminal illnesses, put their opposing views ahead of this week’s Lords debate

Sunday, 28 June 2009

To be or not to be? More pertinently: is it a decision for the individual or the state? While suicide is legal in Britain, helping someone to die is not. In the past seven years, 115 Britons have travelled with the help of relatives and friends to the Swiss euthanasia clinic Dignitas to end their lives. Most were suffering from terminal conditions such as cancer and motor neurone disease, but last week it was revealed a small number had chronic but non-life-threatening conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis. Yet no one has ever been prosecuted.

The House of Lords debates an amendment to the Coroners and Justice Bill this week which seeks to set out the circumstances in which it would be legal to help someone to end their lives*:

However it’s the surrounding activities that are deemed to be illegal.
It’s all a bit of a pea soup really.

still, no one knows a person persecuted for this act, unless other mental illness is there

I know, not through experience but through an aquaintence, that a failed attempted suicide can be very costly. The law requires rehabilitation treatment, which can be extremely expensive for those without health insurance. It seems like both a way to discourage people from attempting suicide and a way to make a profit from their situation.

Although I believe the choice to die, if I want to, should be my own, I have to remind myself that doing so would not relieve any pain, it would only amplify it and set it in the hearts of the people who love me.

the dead cant pay regular taxes

CPS will not prosecute relatives who help terminally ill to die

A UK story from 2008

Laws are put in place to encourage a society’s ideal values. In this case, suicide is illegal because it deviates from the belief that life is precious and should be protected.

While I would support a carefully considered system that allowed euthanasia, I personally agree with this value (as one would expect) and the law. In most cases where someone is considering suicide, they are probably not mentally sound or aren’t fully aware of the consequences, and so their right to do whatever they want with their bodies is forfeited.

People don’t really like suicide. It’s not nice, so there’s a knee-jerk reaction: BAN IT.

However, I believe that making suicide illegal is definitely the wrong way to go. Potential jail time or a fine really will not be a deterrent. How will they serve time or pay money if they are dead?

Also, if a person survives a suicide attempt, I don’t think that jail time or a fine will help the problem AT ALL.

Suicide is a personal matter. If anything, it should be punishable by compassion and psychiatric help, not legal action.

@ItalianPrincess1217 you mentioned seat-belt laws. Have you ever seen footage from inside a car during a car accident when one person is not wearing a seatbelt? The person who is not belted in bounces all over the car, injuring the other passengers, snapping their necks…. People who don’t buckle up are hurting others.

You’ve got a couple of things mixed up. they are not making suicide illegal, it is already. MY question is why?

I guess there are lots of outstanding warrants for fleeing the scene of the crime.

A delicate issue with lots of ethics involved. Well, one thing comes to mind. Worldwide there are hundreds of train drivers every year having to deal with shock and trauma. There are even psychologists specializing in this type of after-event counseling.

@randomness I was about to mention @ItalianPrincess1217‘s comparison to seat belt laws and how not buckling up can very easily hurt others but you took the words out of my mouth.

@DrasticDreamer I’m not sure whether I agree completely will have to think about it some more but you raise a good point about those who have started a family who depend on them and then commiting suicide, leaving those who depend on them ie: children, alone.

suicides against the law? what are they gonna do about it? you cant punish a dead person <.< just dont screw up and half kill yourself.

Apologies in advance for the diatribe; I guess every great discussion needs a rambler lol…GQ btw

I think @mattbrowne and @iphigeneia bring up some really good points here (and others); the consequences and impact the event has on society and those whose lives are immediately impacted by the suicide are issues that come to mind; and also related to that would be the collateral damage, and any other expenses to the state for medical treatment (in the event of one’s failure to achieve ‘success’), and legal proceedings (investigations, hearings, etc.)

If I may wax philosopical for a minute: the thing that fascinates me about this topic deals more with the conflicting of basic human rights: in America, at least after the revision, the Declaration of Independence stated that we (citizens) should be entitled to certain inalienable rights, those being “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” (That is, after “Pursuit of Happiness” was changed over from “Property”).

I think that there would be a conflict when determining which is more important: one’s right to life or one’s right to be happy. It would seem that someone so resigned to ending their life would be someone who is extremely unhappy, and that the concept of ending their life brings them happiness (even if they don’t stand to enjoy that happiness for long).

But maybe the “wild card” in this is the second right, which is the right to Liberty; if you are free to choose how to live your life and to choose whether or not to be happy, then it tends to paint the argument like a big rock/paper/scissors war, except it would seem the rock in this case would win (a sharp rock that can cut paper too?).

It would seem like the individual’s rights (to Liberty, freedom of choice) would trump the after-effects experienced by those left behind; perhaps the issue then becomes: is the suicide (or more to the point, someone’s right to choose to end their life) deemed lawful if it impinges on another citizen’s basic human rights?

I would think that in the case of the train accidents, where the event of someone taking their own life impacts (literally and figuratively) the life of the train’s engineer/operator, or causes injury to others in the area (for instance, “suicide” bombers), this becomes a lot more muddy of an issue. But perhaps in those examples there is a means to judge and weigh the evidence and apply the law, so it would seem that the intent and integrity of the law would be intact.

But then, again, if one’s suicide creates great pain, grief, suffering to your loved ones, then wouldn’t they be depriving them of happiness? This makes me wonder if the Declaration of Independence had not been changed over from “Property” to “Happiness” would we still be having this discussion?!?!

we are governed by those we put in office. i personally feel if a person passes a psychological evaluation and decides they really don’t wish to life anymore than it should be their private choice. i would much rather have a sure thing then following all the directions to the right combo of drugs to find i failed. it takes a lot of courage to try and when you try and fail it makes me feel so distraught. i respect there are times that perhaps death is better than the alternative. i am not talking about, my b/f dumped me i want to die. i am talking about a mature and rational decision to have control of your final exit.

Here is a simple answer: suicide is against the law in all the states. by making suicide a law violation, it gives the police the authority to intervene in suicide attempts. in other words, if a person is attempting to commit suicide, the police have the authority to arrest this person for psychological evaluation. if this law did not exist, it would a long, drawn-out procedure to have this person committed for testing. most of the time, time is not on the side of the police or the suicidal person. quick action is needed.

My guess is a “disturbing the peace” sort of thing, making them do work so you get punished.

I was “arrested” when I attempted suicide at 14. It’s more a legality to keep you hospitalized than sent to jail. You go to the hospital and are treated for the attempted suicide, and then the cops show up if there is no mental health facility there, and the cops transfer you to a crisis center (which is usually in a hospital, and is an intake for multiple hospitals) You then get taken by ambulance to a mental facility, wherever has the beds. You are put on a mandatory 72 hour hold (I believe it’s 72 hours, mine was) And then before that 72 hours is up, you are taken by ambulance again to “court”. I was taken and didn’t even see the judge. I waived all that, and admitted myself, so they didn’t have to review anything and put a mandatory hold on me.
I was a minor, and my parents were sort of involved in the process. They were not able to go to the court thing with me, but prior to that we had sessions to figure out the best route of action.
Hope that answers your question on what happens. I know it has happened to many people I talked to in the hospital at the time.
In the US, it’s called a 5150 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5150_(Involuntary_psychiatric_hold)

@randomness I wasn’t thinking of the other people in the car and how it could harm them because I tend to always be alone in my car. So I suppose, yes, it could hurt the other passengers. But when alone in the car, it should be up to that person whether they choose to be safe or not. I’m all for wearing seatbelts. I was in a very bad accident a few months ago and the seatbelt saved my life…

It’s the taking of a human life. Some states have removed it from the statutes.

Society standards – social norms. After the death of my brother, I support it being illegal.

I don’t think it’s so much a question of legality is it is morality. If you are successful then you don’t really have to worry about it being legal or not. If you attempt and fail I believe it is in the person’s best interest to be taken into custody and given care at a mental health facility. I say this as a person that suffers from Major Depressive Disorder. When I am having an episode I think about suicide a lot, but when I’m not having an episode and I think about it, it turns my stomach to know that I was even considering it. I guess what I’m trying to say is that most people that attempt/commit suicide are ill and need help. Speaking now, from a non-depressed point of view I hope that if I ever do try it someone will find me and stop me.

There is one exception to this. If someone is in a perfectly healthy mindset and is suffering because of a terminal illness like cancer or who is in a physical state where the quality of life had diminished to nothing, then I believe that person has the right to choose death over life. Thats just my opinion, and I think that people should seek out every possible solution to improve their lives before taking that route because that choice is final.