is sucide illegal in britain?

Answer 1

No. It used to be - but that rather ridiculous law has been repealed.

However, helping someone to kill themselves - known as assisted suicide - is a crime in Britain which carries a sentence of up to 14 years imprisonment.

Assisted suicide differs from euthanasia in that the "helper" does not directly administer the fatal dose of drugs to the patient, but gives them means to do it themselves.

Other European countries have more liberal laws, including the Netherlands and Switzerland, where assisted suicide is legal providing it is not carried out for gain.

Section 2(1) of the Suicide Act makes it an offence to aid, abet, counsel or procure another person to commit or attempt suicide. For aiding and abetting to be proved, there must be participation in the act of suicide, as well as a knowledge of what is going to take place. Someone who counsels or procures is liable only for an act of suicide that is committed as a consequence of what he does, so there must be a causal connection between the counselling and procuring and the commission of the act.

If an individual helps someone to inject himself with a lethal drug or supplies the lethal drug knowing that it is required for the purpose of committing suicide, they could be charged with aiding and abetting. But simply providing information about suicide does not in itself necessarily amount to aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring, any more than providing information about ways to commit murder would constitute an offence.

Answer 2

Yes, suicide is illegal and so helping someone to commit suicide is also illegal and could even be conspiracy - an even more serious offence. Obviously, you can't be punished for committing suicide and unlikely to be punished for attempting suicide. But anyone attempting suicide is likely to be "sectioned" under the Mental Health Act and detained for 21 days without any right of appeal. After 21 days your case is reviewed and you can be detained longer. This is why many seriously ill people have a "suicide kit" but never admit to it - except to other people in a similar position. The law is an *** - that is an English quote - but as Yahoo is American it will be censored by bots that don't understand the difference between a horse and a donkey!

Answer 3

Assisted suicide/euthanasia is not legal here, thats why people have to go to Switzerland if they are terminally ill and want to end their lives.

The police here recently dropped charges against a family who respected a terminally ill family member's wishes and accompanied therm to Switzerland for an assisted suicide. Because its not legal here they had to investigate although obviously they weren't going to do anything to this family. There'd have been a public outcry if they had.

As for straightforward suicide being illegal, well those who succeed can't be prosecuted because they're dead, and those who attempt suicide and fail - well I've never heard of someone lying in hospital having their stomach pumped after a failed overdose and the poilce turning up to arrest them!!!!

Answer 4

i live in britain and suicide is not illegal, if you do manage to stay alive after attempting it.

However 'euthanasia' is, this is to assist in the death of another person as the persons wish. and you can be charged for murder rather than manslaughter due to the fact manslaughter is when you kill someone usually by accident but murder is where it is planned.
The term is usually custodial, and can in some circumstances mean life (15 years) in prison, although most people only serve a 1/3 of thier sentence.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

As a point of law it is illegal to take your own life. As previous answerers have pointed out how can you be prosecuted if your dead! Quite right but it is not the dead person who loses out ( well in theory)

Anyone who commits suicide voids any life insurance/ insurance policies therefore their relatives/next of kin lose any payments that would have been forth coming with a natural death.

Answer 7

Not since 1961. Before it was decriminalised, if you attempted to take your life and failed, you would find yourself facing criminal charges. Now despite the fact that suicide isn't illegal, aiding and abetting someone to commit suicide is, hence the trouble people have found themselves in when they have participated in an assisted suicide with perhaps the kindest of motives.

Answer 8

Whether to live or not to live is up to the individual and long as he or she does not involve another person it cannot be against the law. Now here comes the crunch does this mean that if anyone knowingly does not try to stop the act, does he or she commit a crime.

Answer 9

Seriously i read once that maybe 150 years go a pregnant woman jumped of a cliff killing herself and her unborn child , as punishment for her crime she was hung in public TWICE!!!

so i assume it's still illegal but i think the punishment might be less severe nowadays ?

Answer 10

No, that law was repealed way back in the 60s. Suicide attempts now just tend to get you mentally assessed, and if necessary detained under the Mental Health Act.