720 ILCS 5/12-34.5 – Inducement to Commit Suicide

720 ILCS 5/12-34.5 – Inducement to Commit Suicide

This law makes it a crime to pressure or help someone kill themselves.

This Illinois law says a person can be punished if they force or help someone to try or commit suicide. It explains what actions count as encouraging or assisting in suicide and lists the different levels of punishment depending on what happens.

(a) A person breaks this law if they:

1. Knowingly pressure or force someone to kill themselves, and that person tries or succeeds in doing so because of the pressure. This control could be through limiting where the person can go, using emotional pressure, or claiming authority based on beliefs like religion or politics.
2. Know someone plans to try or commit suicide, and then either give them the means to do it or physically help them do it.

For this law, “attempts to commit suicide” means doing something with the real intent to kill oneself and taking a big step toward that act.

(b) Sentence: The punishments depend on what happened:

1. If you forced someone and they died, it’s a Class 2 felony.
2. If you helped someone and they died, it’s a Class 4 felony.
3. If you forced someone and they only tried but didn’t die, it’s a Class 3 felony.
4. If you helped someone and they only tried but didn’t die, it’s a Class A misdemeanor.

(c) Doing something in good faith under laws like the Illinois Living Will Act, Health Care Surrogate Act, or Powers of Attorney for Health Care Law does not count as helping someone commit suicide under this law.

View the full statute here.

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