Alright, my arm has been twisted to post this question. It's funny how answering a trivia post can bring out a legit question totally un-related to the intial post!

So, here it is. Without getting into the religious aspects of this...

Can anyone tell me WHY suicide is illegal?

There has to be some sort of back-up as to why this law was created and I'm just curious. It makes no sense to me. I mean, if you are successfull in committing suicide that means you have broken a law? But then what? You have gotten off "scott free"
And if you are unsuccessful you are arrested and then what? The death penalty?


And you all...don't go reading too much into this post. My mind just works in strange ways at times. Rest assured...I'm totally normal!

I'm not in Law Enforcement, but I didn't know that suicide was illegal. And if you're unsuccessful, you are not arrested (here) but you are taken to a mental ward for evaluation, and stay until you are okay, then you go home.

If this is a law anywhere and the person is successful in suicide, I guess their 'fine' will go to the credit bureau.

Hon, guess I stand corrected...Suicide used to be illegal. In the 1300's nations started making it illegal. In Ireland it was still illegal up until 1993. Now it's just assisted suicide that is illegal. In fact, all states in the US except for Oregon have accepted that law.

I guess I can understand why assisted suicide is illegal...

I can't. If suicide is "legal" (read "permitted") without penalty why shouldn't assisted suicide be legal (permitted) without penalty (to anyone)? No different than asking someone to take you to the store, in my mind. I'm with Oregon and I hear old people are moving there to take advantage of that law.

Catty

Suicide is not illegal (anymore) but it is punishable because "they" can't understand how a sane person could possibly want to end his life. A suicidal person MUST be insane, right?

There is no reason why assisted suicide should be illegal -aside from the unscrupulous few who would use it for profit.
If I am ready to die, no law is going to stop me. Besides, what can they do, kill me?

Incidentally, a hundred years ago or so the penalty for attempted suicide was execution. Oh. Darn. I anted to kill myself and failed, but now the government will do it for me. Shucks.

Oregon rocks.

It derives from the Church regarding suicide as a serious sin. So the law followed it. In modern times it certainly meant that assurance and insurance companies would not pay on the death because they were debarred, as a matter of public policy, from paying out when the event was the criminal act of the policy holder. This was the position, that suicide was a crime, until 1961 in the UK. The law was used latterly in cases of attempted suicide simply as an effective way of saving a life; at least that was the hope The defendant was before a court that should find whatever was the most suitable course to prevent the attempt being repeated successfully . That might mean some sort of supervision on terms, though it usually meant detention of some sort.(In the UK now we have only the crimes of counselling, procuring or assisting in the suicide of another. The survivor of a suicide pact may also be prosecuted, at least in theory,for manslaughter)