URGENT call to action: Decriminalize Suicide in Virginia- Updated 2/3/2020
HB 1063– Delegate Kaye Kory has introduced house bill 1063 “A Bill to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 18.2-16.1, relating to “abolishing the common-law crime of suicide in Virginia.”
It went to the court of justice subcommittee, then civil subcommittee, now back to the court of justice full committee, Wed. Feb 5 in the afternoon. Please do the following quick and easy action items.
Next steps
- Don’t know who your delegate is? Look it up here.
- Choose your delegate in this list of subcommittee members who will hear the bill. Or choose a member of the committee. Email your support to your delegate or a delegate using the template below.
Suicide is a death of despair and a public health issue often the result of mental illness, physical illness, trauma, or adverse personal circumstances. Depression and suicide are public health issues, not crimes. Suicide as a crime is an antiquated, stigmatizing and outdated law from the 1400s England and criminalizing serves as an impediment to those seeking help. Please support the abolishment of this bill.
This bill is not to be confused with “assisted suicide” bills. Please feel free to personalize your emails/calls with your own experiences of attempted suicide or the loss of loved ones to suicide.
Additional information
- The full bill is here and it includes an added amendment that allows police officers the opportunity to investigate.
- This is a bill that has previously been buried in subcommittee and thwarted by those who inaccurately link it to assisted suicide, which is codified in a separate section of Virginia law
- Gov. Northam has two reforms One of which is criminal justice and the second a focus on the prevention of suicide by servicemen. Support of this bill should be an integral part of his reforms.
Holy @#$×! I had NO idea suicide was considered a crime in our or any state. What an assbackward way of thinking!! I also did not know that grandparents have NO visitation rights in our state. Last night Senator Dunnavant presented…I spoke to amend when relationship is severed by death. They voted 13/2 as YES. Maybe, just maybe one day soon I will be able to see Kyle Jr again.
Deborah I wondered how that went. Thank you for being there on behalf of all grandparents. That is fabulous.
And the “suicide is a crime” law is from the 1400s! And it has no statutes. The argument against removing it was from the catholic charities who argued that removing the law would give people permission to kill themselves.
We are in the process of trying to get a bill introduced to clarify the “harm” standard with grandparent visitation rights in VA. Following our son’s tragic suicide nearly three years ago, we have not been permitted to see our precious grandchildren, with whom we’ve shared very close relationships since their birth. We petitioned the court, and have been in proceedings since. One of the challenges we’ve faced is the lack of clarity in the “harm” standard in VA.
I am so sorry. I have been hearing about the issue and if you’d like to write a post about it you might get some traction. This site reaches one thousand per day. I hope you can work out the technicalities of “harm” so you can see your grand babies again. Fried ya I give a presentation to a bereavement coalition and I have it in my speech to mention this issue after a Suicide. It’s way too common
This is a fantastic first step and I look forward to the good news that it is a done deal. Congratulations!
It felt so good.