I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 853 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the use of interstate 

commerce for suicide promotion. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 4, 2009 

Mr. HERGER (for himself, Mr. MATHESON, Ms. BORDALLO, and Mrs. 

MYRICK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the use 

of interstate commerce for suicide promotion. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Suzanne Gonzales Sui5 cide Prevention Act of 2009’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON THE USE OF INTERSTATE COM7 MERCE FOR SUICIDE PROMOTION. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 51 of title 18, United 

9 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1122 

10 the following: 


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1 ‘‘§ 1123. Interstate suicide promotion 

2 ‘‘(a) Whoever knowingly uses any facility of interstate 

3 or foreign commerce with intent— 

4 ‘‘(1) to teach a particular person how to com5 mit suicide, knowing that the person so taught is 

6 likely to use that teaching to commit suicide; or 

7 ‘‘(2) to provide a particular person with mate8 rial support or resources to help such person commit 

9 suicide, knowing that the person is likely to use the 

10 support to commit suicide; 

11 shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 

12 5 years, or both, but if the death of any person is caused 

13 by the offense, the term of imprisonment that may be im14 posed for the offense is any term of years or for life. 

15 ‘‘(b) As used in this section— 

16 ‘‘(1) the term ‘teach a particular person how to 

17 commit suicide’ means supplying information, that is 

18 not generally known, to a particular person who the 

19 provider knows is contemplating suicide, with the in20 tent of making that person’s suicide attempt easier 

21 to accomplish or more likely to succeed; 

22 ‘‘(2) the term ‘material support’ with respect to 

23 helping a person commit suicide means any prop24 erty, tangible or intangible, or service that is reason25 ably capable of substantially assisting a person to 

26 commit suicide, with the intent of making that perVerDate Nov 24 2008 04:30 Feb 06, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H853.IH H853

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1 son’s suicide attempt easier to accomplish or more 

2 likely to succeed; and 

3 ‘‘(3) the term ‘State’ includes the District of 

4 Columbia and any other commonwealth, territory, or 

5 possession of the United States. 

6 ‘‘(c) Nothing in this section— 

7 ‘‘(1) supersedes the authority of a State to 

8 enact laws relating to suicide or assistance to suicide 

9 within its territory; or 

10 ‘‘(2) prohibits the use of a facility of interstate 

11 or foreign commerce to supply information or mate12 rial support to a recipient acting in accordance with 

13 the law of the State in which the recipient resides.’’. 

14 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

15 at the beginning of chapter 51 of title 18, United States 

16 Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to 

17 section 1122 the following new item: 

‘‘1123. Interstate suicide promotion.’’. 

Æ 


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