Government revisits suicide website laws

 

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Posted on 18 Sep 2008 at 09:52

The Government is to clarify the law making suicide websites illegal.

The current Suicide Act, established in 1961, makes it illegal to promote suicide, but no website has been prosecuted under the forty-year-old legislation.

Justice Minister Maria Eagle says the law must be updated so that it's clear it applies online also: "Updating the language of the Suicide Act, however, should help to reassure people that the internet is not a lawless environment and that we can meet the challenges of the digital world.

"It is important, particularly in an area of such wide public interest and concern, for the law to be expressed in terms that everyone can understand."

The Government says the changes will take effect within the year, though Justice Minister Maria Eagle has warned of the "inherent difficulties" with policing websites based beyond the UK's jurisdiction.