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 Com-
mittee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the use 
of interstate commerce for suicide promotion. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Suzanne Gonzales Sui-
cide Prevention Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON THE USE OF INTERSTATE COM-
MERCE FOR SUICIDE PROMOTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 51 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1122 
the following: 
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‘‘§ 1123. Interstate suicide promotion 
‘‘(a) Whoever knowingly uses any facility of interstate 
or foreign commerce with intent— 
‘‘(1) to teach a particular person how to com-
mit suicide, knowing that the person so taught is 
likely to use that teaching to commit suicide; or 
‘‘(2) to provide a particular person with mate-
rial support or resources to help such person commit 
suicide, knowing that the person is likely to use the 
support to commit suicide; 
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 
5 years, or both, but if the death of any person is caused 
by the offense, the term of imprisonment that may be im-
posed for the offense is any term of years or for life. 
‘‘(b) As used in this section— 
‘‘(1) the term ‘teach a particular person how to 
commit suicide’ means supplying information, that is 
not generally known, to a particular person who the 
provider knows is contemplating suicide, with the in-
tent of making that person’s suicide attempt easier 
to accomplish or more likely to succeed; 
‘‘(2) the term ‘material support’ with respect to 
helping a person commit suicide means any prop-
erty, tangible or intangible, or service that is reason-
ably capable of substantially assisting a person to 
commit suicide, with the intent of making that per-
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son’s suicide attempt easier to accomplish or more 
likely to succeed; and 
‘‘(3) the term ‘State’ includes the District of 
Columbia and any other commonwealth, territory, or 
possession of the United States. 
‘‘(c) Nothing in this section— 
‘‘(1) supersedes the authority of a State to 
enact laws relating to suicide or assistance to suicide 
within its territory; or 
‘‘(2) prohibits the use of a facility of interstate 
or foreign commerce to supply information or mate-
rial support to a recipient acting in accordance with 
the law of the State in which the recipient resides.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of chapter 51 of title 18, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to 
section 1122 the following new item: 
‘‘1123. Interstate suicide promotion.’’. 
Æ 
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