Parliament has amended sections of the Criminal Offenses Act of 1960, which makes attempting to take one’s own life a crime. Following the amendment in Parliament on Tuesday, March 28, persons who attempt suicide will be considered as having mental health issues requiring assistance by law rather than imprisonment.
Some legislators had earlier kicked against calls to decriminalise attempted suicide. In 2019 during a conversation in Parliament on whether to decriminalise the act or not, former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu said that attempt to commit suicide should be considered a crime and not be pardoned.
The Tamale South MP stated that calls to decriminalise the act should not be heeded and said suicide is unacceptable behaviour. He added that the culprits of the act should be punished to deter others, especially the youth from engaging in the act.
“You do not want to think that when you have depression and distress, the ultimate thing is that you go and take your life since you cannot recover your life back,” he stated.
However, the Mental Health Authority CEO, Prof Akwesi Osei during the launch of a call centre in Accra, disclosed that it has initiated steps to have suicide decriminalised, saying it is a medical condition that needs health support rather than imprisonment. This follows the “unprecedented wave” of suicide and attempted suicide cases, especially among the youth in 2017.
Source: Prince Adu-Owusu
