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Questions tagged [suicide]

Questions relating to the act of intentionally causing one's own death, or encouraging another to do so. Considered adding a location tag if the question is specific to a particular jurisdiction.

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death.  The most commonly used method of suicide varies between countries, and is partly related to the availability of effective means. Common methods of suicide include hanging, pesticide poisoning, and firearms. Suicides resulted in 828,000 global deaths in 2015, an increase from 712,000 deaths in 1990. This makes suicide the 10th leading cause of death worldwide.

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What crime is hiring someone to kill you and then killing the hitman?

Suppose that yesterday I was suicidal and decided to hire a hitman on the internet to kill me. Today, when they turn up, I have changed my mind and defend myself by killing the hitman. What crime(s) have I committed? This is completely…
Rod
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When Mr. Incredible saved a man from killing himself, is he really liable for damages?

If you're not familiar with The Incredibles, at the start, a man falls off a skyscraper (intending to commit suicide), and Mr. Incredible jumps off another roof-top and catches him, stopping him from dying (but he seemingly suffers a broken neck…
chausies
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Is calling emergency service for someone ever mandatory?

Is it ever mandatory to call the police or other emergency service for people? For example, say a friend has suicidal thoughts. Could you ever be breaking the law by not calling the police in such a situation?
The Editor
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Can police enter a dwelling to intervene in a suicide attempt in a state where suicide is not a crime?

I have often heard claims that the reason suicide (and attempted suicide) is criminalized (at common law, if not statutorily) in some states is that it allows law enforcement personnel to enter a residence if they have reason to believe a person is…
senshin
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To what extent is suicide legal in the U.S. and in individual states?

At one point, legal scholars referred to suicide as a form of self-murder (for example, see Coke or Hale). Are those who take their own lives guilty of some crime, or have some forms of the act been decriminalized? What about those who willingly…
Pat W.
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Is fulfilling the duties of a "second" in seppuku a crime in modern Japan?

Seppuku is a Japanese suicide ritual by disembowelment that was often used by Samurai to attenuate shame or avoid being captured. The ritual traditionally involves a "second" who would perform a kaishaku - a cut in which the warrior is…
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'Homicide by words' hypothetical - First Amendment and jurisdictional questions

This hypothetical is based on the ongoing prosecution of Mandie Reusch. Mr Y lives in Nevada, and Ms X lives in Wyoming. Ms X also suffers from depression and PTSD. They still speak to each other, and they have joint custody of their children. Mr Y…
BakedAlaska624
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Penalty for inciting mass suicide

I was researching the mass suicides that occurred in cults like Jim Jones' Peoples Temple and Marshall Applewhite's Heaven Gates. In these cases, both Jones and Applewhite committed suicide as well. I was wondering: if they had not committed suicide…
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Who has authority to determine whether death was natural, accidental, suicidal, or homicidal?

My understanding is that generally (and in broad strokes) it is the responsibility and authority of a jurisdiction's Coroner (a.k.a. Medical Examiner) to determine the cause and manner of any death not certified by an attending physician. Suppose…
feetwet
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Germany - spousal liability for suicide

Trigger warning - suicide. This is a throwaway account, because. I have a long term illness that is going to kill me in a nasty way - not in the next 5 to 10 years, but eventually. I live in Germany and I am married to a German. We have laws here…
John Doe
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Legal implications of this prank going horribly wrong?

I remembered coming across this comic from Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. In this comic, Tommy replaces his boss' gun with a fake that just shoots out a "Bang!" flag. Later, he breaks into his office and pretends to be a robber, presumably…
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Will I have to appear in court or another proceeding about a suicide I discovered?

I was riding my bike to work, and found someone lying in the grass on public land (the road verge) not private property. He appears to have died of his own intentional actions. The police were called, blocked off the scene, and did their thing. I…
Criggie
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Are social network companies legally permitted to tell police about users at risk of suicide?

In the United States, do social network companies have the legal right to provide user information directly to police, without order or subpoena, when such users post content about depression and self-harm, in order to prevent suicide or other…
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Who within the United States would have a legal obligation to report (or stop) a suicide attempt?

Since suicide is not a crime in many states is there any requirement for anyone to do something about an individual who is attempting suicide? That is to say does anyone, other then perhaps a therapist, have an obligation to prevent a suicide? …
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What statutes constrain an insurance provider's treatment of suicide?

Many insurance companies have explicit suicide clauses: exclusions that allow the company to deny benefits to the policy holder's estate. Essentially, suicide voids the benefits policy. What statutes (if any) govern an insurance company's actions…
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