[PASSED] A Decriminalization of Suicide

[Goobergunchia]

CURRENT DRAFT:

A Decriminalization of Suicide
Category: Human Rights | Strength: Significant | Authored by: Unibot

The General Assembly,

Noting that modern psychiatry has come to recognize suicidal tendencies as a common response to depression or a symptom of mental illness,

Believing that the religious or moral prohibitions of “self-murder” are not strong enough to justify the sentencing and incarceration of those who attempt and fail to commit suicide, since this punishment may only further damage the subject’s mental state,

Hereby:

1. Affirms that the act of intentionally ending one’s own life, hereby defined as “suicide”, shall not be a criminal offense or breach of law in any member-nation;
   
   :::: a. Additionally, the act of attempting to commit suicide shall not be a criminal offense or breach of law in any member-nation;
   
   :::: b. Member-states shall not impose taxation on suicide or attempted suicide (see cl.3);
   
   :::: c. Member-states shall not withhold inheritance, tax credit or other benefits on the basis that one died specifically by suicide. However, if a member-state is an insurer it may withhold life insurance to beneficiaries if the insured died by suicide;
   
   :::: d. Any ongoing punishment for breaching laws that do not comply with this resolution shall cease immediately;
   
   
2. Requests that member-states and their respective legal systems take care in distinguishing between activities of a potentially careless and/or life-threatening nature (e.g., recreational substance use, failure to use safety equipment) and specific acts that are intended by one to end one's own life;
   
   
3. Demands a state shall not respond to someone who has attempted suicide as it would respond to a criminal offender simply because they acted to end their own life;
   
   :::: a. If a subject committed criminal offenses in the course of an attempted suicide, the subject could be convicted for those offenses but the actual act of attempted suicide would not be a criminal offense;
   
   :::: b. If a subject's suicide attempt directly affects the health and safety of others (e.g., suicide bombing), the subject may be convicted for posing a harm to others but the actual act of attempted suicide would not be a criminal offense;
   
   :::: c. If a suicidal person has not breached the law but is to be institutionalized, this institution must be a dedicated mental health facility, separate from the criminal justice system or penitentiaries;
   
   
4. Recognizes a desire to attempt suicide motivated by many of the common underlying motivations behind suicide (e.g., despair, depression, substance abuse) is a medical emergency which demands therapy and treatment;
   
   
5. Clarifies that nothing in this act shall impact whether member-nations can criminalize the forcing, assistance, aid or abetment of suicide.

Eduard penned the draft and signed the resolution. "BAM! ... Admittedly I'm a bit rusty. Comments? Suggestions?"

Ruling Requested

The Secretariat has ruled that "The Decriminalization of Suicide" does NOT contradict GA#17 by outlawing the taxation of suicide NOR does it duplicate the CoCR.

[The Republic of Lanos]

Attempted suicide is still punishable by death in some places? FOR.

Maybe they can get the help they need by asking Candlejack to take them to a good hospi-

[Vagabundas]

I'll be happy to support this act. But i think that many dictators won't like their slaves killing themeselves....

Good Luck on this Bill,

[Unibot II]

Attempted suicide is still punishable by death in some places? FOR.

OOC: Movements for the decriminalization of suicide happened in the 1960's for most of the modern world, 1972 for my home country, Canada and Decriminalization in the U.S was an ongoing process between the late sixties to the nineties. Countries that still currently criminalize suicide are rare, I know of several: Singapore, India, Nigeria, Guyana, Ghana. I think it is fair to assume suicide is a criminal offense in some member-states.

[Charlotte Ryberg]

So far you've done a good job of recommending action to help prevent suicide. I think that it is a good issue worthy of international consideration, why didn't Ms. Harper think it through earlier?

[California Bay Area]

I'm all for it
CBA

[Levena]

1. Affirms that the act of intentionally ending one’s own life, hereby defined as “suicide”, shall not be a criminal offense or breach of law in any member-nation;
   
   
   1. Additionally, the act of attempting to commit suicide shall not be a criminal offense or breach of law in any member-nation;
      
   2. Any ongoing punishment for breaching obsolete laws against suicide or attempted suicide shall cease immediately;

I don't understand the repetition here. Why is 1.a. the same as 1.?

[Unibot II]

1. Affirms that the act of intentionally ending one’s own life, hereby defined as “suicide”, shall not be a criminal offense or breach of law in any member-nation;
   
   
   1. Additionally, the act of attempting to commit suicide shall not be a criminal offense or breach of law in any member-nation;
      
   2. Any ongoing punishment for breaching obsolete laws against suicide or attempted suicide shall cease immediately;

I don't understand the repetition here. Why is 1.a. the same as 1.?

It's not the exact same, attempted suicide is simply a failure to end one's life after a deliberate attempt -- these subjects can easily be penalized. Those who are successful at ending their life, thus dying by suicide, are obviously not easily punished.. since they're dead; however some jurisidictions go as far as to penalize familes whose children die by suicide to create a deterrent to the suicidal person not to attempt suicide (since their mom and pop could be convicted). Hence neither suicide nor attempted suicide should be illegal.

[Knootoss]

Knootoss supports this proposal, though:

1) "Requires member-nations to recognize the underlying motivations behind suicide (e.g., despair, depression) demand therapy and treatment;" should just be a recognises clause, or it could be misread as mandating therapy and treatment.

2) "Reaffirms the freedom of member-nations to criminalize the assistance, aid or abetment of suicide barring extant or future WA legislation." would be better worded as: "Clarifies that nothing in this act shall impact the freedom of ..."


Ambassador Aram Koopman
World Assembly representative for the Dutch Democratic Republic of Knootoss

[Mahaj]

FOR.

[Unibot II]

Knootoss supports this proposal, though:

1) "Requires member-nations to recognize the underlying motivations behind suicide (e.g., despair, depression) demand therapy and treatment;" should just be a recognises clause, or it could be misread as mandating therapy and treatment.

2) "Reaffirms the freedom of member-nations to criminalize the assistance, aid or abetment of suicide barring extant or future WA legislation." would be better worded as: "Clarifies that nothing in this act shall impact the freedom of ..."

(Image)
Ambassador Aram Koopman
World Assembly representative for the Dutch Democratic Republic of Knootoss

"Is the current changes what you had in mind, ambassador?" Eduard asked.

[Knootoss]

OOC:
Should be: Recognizes THAT the

"barring extant or future WA legislation" can go now, I think.

Otherwise, yay.

[United Casio]

Decriminalization of Suicide
Category: Human Rights | Strength: Significant | Authored by: Unibot

The General Assembly,

Noting that modern psychiatry has come to recognize suicidal tendencies as a response to depression or a symptom of mental illness and requiring therapy,

Believing that the religious or moral prohibitions of “self-murder” are not strong enough to justify the sentencing and incarceration of those who attempt and fail to commit suicide, since this punishment only further damages the subject’s mental state,

Hereby:

1. Affirms that the act of intentionally ending one’s own life, hereby defined as “suicide”, shall not be a criminal offense or breach of law in any member-nation;
   
   
   1. Additionally, the act of attempting to commit suicide shall not be a criminal offense or breach of law in any member-nation;
      
   2. Any ongoing punishment for breaching obsolete laws against suicide or attempted suicide shall cease immediately;
2. Demands a state shall not respond to someone who has attempted suicide as it would respond to a criminal offender;
   
   
   1. If a suicidal person is to be institutionalized, this institution must be a dedicated mental health facility, separate from the justice system and penitentiaries;
3. Recognizes the underlying motivations behind suicide (e.g., despair, depression) demand therapy and treatment;
   
   
4. Clarifies that nothing in this act shall impact the freedom of member-nations to criminalize the assistance, aid or abetment of suicide barring extant or future WA legislation.

Eduard penned the draft and signed the resolution. "BAM! ... Admittedly I'm a bit rusty. Comments? Suggestions?"

Sorry to rain on your parade, and especially seeing as you're the divine god and overlord of the WA, should this remain a national issue? If not, FOR.

[Unibot II]

OOC:
Should be: Recognizes THAT the

OOC: Hhhm.. I'm not sure about that "That" . Any grammarian out there willing to comment?

"barring extant or future WA legislation" can go now, I think.

Oh, good point!

[Unibot II]

Sorry to rain on your parade, and especially seeing as you're the divine god and overlord of the WA, should this remain a national issue? If not, FOR.

Any absolutely fair question. I would argue that when the imprisonment of suicidal people is so detrimental to their health and seems to completely ignore modern psychiatry, the World Assembly has the duty to protect the individual. The World Assembly has previous overridden domestic jurisdictions on several occasions, such as slavery or sexual assault... these practices may be isolated within a nation's borders... but the individual is still grossly violated and it is deemed that the World Assembly should "step in" to right the wrongs of the domestic jurisdictions. Does this satisfy your question?

[United Casio]

Sorry to rain on your parade, and especially seeing as you're the divine god and overlord of the WA, should this remain a national issue? If not, FOR.

Any absolutely fair question. I would argue that when the imprisonment of suicidal people is so detrimental to their health and seems to completely ignore modern psychiatry, the World Assembly has the duty to protect the individual. The World Assembly has previous overridden domestic jurisdictions on several occasions, such as slavery or sexual assault... these practices may be isolated within a nation's borders... but the individual is still grossly violated and it is deemed that the World Assembly should "step in" to right the wrongs of the domestic jurisdictions. Does this satisfy your question?

Okay thanks, just wondering.

[Friedensangebot]

"For. An individual's decision to end their life should not be a criminal act."

[Profectu]

i support this.

[Dizyntk]

"The Dizyntk see no reason to oppose this proposal. We do, however, have a suggestion. Clause 2 should be clarified that the lack of treatment as a criminal offender is only applicable so long as no other laws are being violated or no other beings were being threatened in the course of said suicide attempt.

We would also argue with the assumptions made in the preamble and under clause 3 as to the reasonings behind suicides. Most suicides in the Imperium, as well as in some human societies from our understanding, have to do with breaches of honor and not depressive symptoms. This is nitpicking however and not reason enough for us to not support this proposal."

[Hiriaurtung Arororugul]

The People of Aundotutunagir oppose this! All persons, and their bodies and their lives, are the property of the State. As such, they have no right to take away that which is not rightfully theirs.

[Dizyntk]

The People of Aundotutunagir oppose this! All persons, and their bodies and their lives, are the property of the State. As such, they have no right to take away that which is not rightfully theirs.

"And you would punish an individual who has committed suicide how, Ambassador? They are, by that point, beyond your reach in the most basic way imaginable. Also, as you are a member of this Assembly, their lives and bodies have already been freed from your government by various existing WA resolutions. I suggest you take a look at them."

[Hiriaurtung Arororugul]

The People of Aundotutunagir oppose this! All persons, and their bodies and their lives, are the property of the State. As such, they have no right to take away that which is not rightfully theirs.

"And you would punish an individual who has committed suicide how, Ambassador? They are, by that point, beyond your reach in the most basic way imaginable. Also, as you are a member of this Assembly, their lives and bodies have already been freed from your government by various existing WA resolutions. I suggest you take a look at them."

It is true that I and my staff, numbering less than 100, are members of this benighted organization. The People of Aundotutunagir, thankfully, are not.

I suppose I could address your question of hypothetical punishments for those who have stolen or damaged State property by committing suicide though. Such lawless individuals can be, and sometimes are, resuscitated. In the event that a person commits suicide and is then resuscitated, that individual is executed immediately to insure that they commit no further anti-social acts in the future. If the person cannot be fully resuscitated, their body, if it is in a suitable condition, is placed on life support and sentenced to a life term in one of our birthing facilities. In this way, these reckless individuals may atone for their crime and help to advance the Aundotutunagirian Nation by giving birth to countless future generations who will hopefully love their country enough not to take their own lives....which don't belong to them in the first place.

I hope this has adequately answered your inquiries.

[Dizyntk]

"And you would punish an individual who has committed suicide how, Ambassador? They are, by that point, beyond your reach in the most basic way imaginable. Also, as you are a member of this Assembly, their lives and bodies have already been freed from your government by various existing WA resolutions. I suggest you take a look at them."

It is true that I and my staff, numbering less than 100, are members of this benighted organization. The People of Aundotutunagir, thankfully, are not.

"In that case, Ambassador, your nation is unaffected by WA resolutions. Therefore your opposition is of scant value. As for the rest of your reply, it did answer the question. It also convinced me that many of you humans are in serious need of therapy and medication."

[Hiriaurtung Arororugul]

It is true that I and my staff, numbering less than 100, are members of this benighted organization. The People of Aundotutunagir, thankfully, are not.

"In that case, Ambassador, your nation is unaffected by WA resolutions. Therefore your opposition is of scant value. As for the rest of your reply, it did answer the question. It also convinced me that many of you humans are in serious need of therapy and medication."

Well good! I'm glad I could help you to understand our position more clearly. If you require any further clarifications don't be afraid to ask.

[Hiriaurtung Arororugul]

however some jurisidictions go as far as to penalize familes whose children die by suicide to create a deterrent to the suicidal person not to attempt suicide (since their mom and pop could be convicted).

The threat of punishment for the immediate family is a powerful deterrent that actually lowers suicide rates. This is not a difficult concept for you to understand, is it?