What's up with suicide being illegal??

Question

If you know any place IN THE USA where it is legal, please tell me.

I have been arrested and sent to psycholgical hospitals multiple times in both California and Washington for attempting suicide. WHY?! It's my choice if I don't want to live, right?

Answer 1

It's illegal because it's murder....of one self!

Answer 2

SUICIDE PREVENTION

Suicide & Crisis Hotline [phone] Help for Troubled Teens

National Hope Line Network 1-800-784-2433 Suicide Prevention

Answer 3

ATTEMPTING suicide is illegal. I think the main reason for this is to try to prevent suicide from happening.

Not every state has laws against attempting suicide though.

"By the early 1990s only two US states still listed suicide as a crime, and these have since removed that classification."

You get arrested if you attempt suicide, but charges are hardly ever brought.

Answer 4

If attempting suicide were legal, then law enforcement would have no cause to respond.

The current debate centers around assisted suicide. On of the problems there is having greedy relatives prevailing on the dying.

Answer 5

suicide is not a crime in any state that I am aware of. Promoting suicide or assisting suicide is. In most states, if you attempt suicide, you are taken into protective custody and delivered to a mental health facility/professional for evaluation. Once released from protective custody, you are free from law enforcement. However, you have to deal with the head doctors.

Answer 6

I would say it started in relation to church since it is a sin to commit suicide. I would also say so that police can get involved if needed considering if you fail their is no charge... because you didn't do it. I have heard of some silly laws though... have you looked into your local laws the ones that were passed and forgotten they existed...I know here there was a law that a man can beat his wife as long as the object he used was no longer than his forearm...lol This law obviously no longer exists...but was found a few years ago in older books..

Answer 7

Good question lol.

I always thought it was so that the police etc can step in and prevent it.

I guess if it was legal this could create loopholes with which to commit murder. I think that's why they don't want assisted suicide to be legal.

Answer 8

If suicide was legal then murder would be legal too.
Murder is illegal (you are ending a life) and so is suicide - then only thing is, you can't be arrested and prosecuted for it if you die.

Answer 9

Just another one of those unenforceable laws legislators cojure up to pass the time of day.If a person is set on killing himself, there is nothing you can do to stop it. You can't be with them 24/7.

Answer 10

Murder of anyone is illegal, but if you're dead I don't think you care. Its those that attempt to kill themselves that don't succeed that get punished for doing something illegal. Generally it is not jail time because you are a risk to yourself-but its Institution time (oh fun-if you're not crazy you will be then), and it can be court ordered therapy or if its real bad punishment for many time offenders, they send someone to your home to give you your medicine and give you one of those cute ankle bracelets to wear.

Answer 11

Well why do you care if it's illegal...If you are successful then you can't go to jail for it because you are dead and it's not like you actually get arrested if you fail in your attempts...you just go to mental health for awhile and then you are free to try again.