The sun., 1919-09-02
ANTI-SUICIDELAW
is NOW REPEALED
Statute Making Attempt at
Self-Destruction a Felony
Expired Yesterday.

1t Is no longer a crime to commit
suicide n you DO 1t in a genteel and
transformations manner. Banging off
revolver against your head or having
carbolic acid At in public place
will still be frowned on by the au-
thorities and the creation of such dis
turbances renders the author liable to
arrest for disorderly conduct, but the
penalty provided for the mere attempt
to kill oneself has been wiped OF the
statute books.
repeating the section which makes at
tempted suicide felony became effec-
tive yesterday. The opinion was ex'
pressed that the statute which pro-
vided punishment at the rate Of two
years Imprisonment or fine of $1,000
or both has not in the past been
deterrent to those wishing to shortcut
themselves into the next world.
But the law making 1t a felony to
advise. encourage or abet another In
self-destruction still holds good. To
do this Is punishable by Imprisonment
for seven years II the one 80 advised
attempts suicide and fails. If the at
tempt is successful, the advising. en-
couraging or abetting constitutes man
slaughter and the first offence is punish
able by two to twenty years in prison,
while the second offence is punishable
by from twenty years to life irnprison-
ment.
Judges of the Court of General SEES
sions invariably have taken len'ent and
sympathetic view Of the offence OF those
brought before them on charges OF at
tempted suicide and could recall yes
women being sent to prison by them
solely on account of the attempted
suicide indictments charged against
them. Said Judge Otto A Rosalsky:
1--WE have been forced to take the point
of view so admirably expressed In
pamphlet by the late Col. Robert lnger-
soil, in which he said there could be no
real punishment for man who mas
come to the conclusion that he Is OF no
further use to himself or to society and
for that reason feels justified in attempt
ing to take his life. Why punish per-
son in this state Of mind?
"In the fourteen years have been on
the bench / have had before me about
a dozen cases of attempted suicide. In
the majority of instances l sought TO
convince the prisoner that his life was
not his to take and to counsel him
against such a step. If there appeared
a likelihood of another suicide attempt
by the prisoner because of a cloud Of de-
preston overhanging him it was often
advisable to send him away for a short
time for his own protection, but not as
punishment
There was one woman whom 1 sent
to the House of the Good Shepherd. She
attempted suicide twice. ] released her
the 9rst time, placing her on probation
after a lecture. When she was brought
before me again 1 did not want to send
her to prison, but felt that she must
be protected. She is alive now. and l
believe she is glad that her attempts on
her life proved failures. The expert
ences of the other Judges have been
much the same"
The amendment making it felony to
encourage suicide was the result OF an
agitation several years ago through
which It was sought to have enacted
number of laws which would give
physician the right to relieve painlessly
the sufferings of patient suffering from
incuraSle disease after first having re-
ceived tie consent of the patient and
relatives. There have been no proscu-
lions under this amendment to the Penal
Law.