Indian Parliament Passes Bill To Decriminalize Suicide

The Indian Parliament’s lower house on Tuesday cleared the Mental Healthcare Bill 2016, which had been passed by the upper house last year. The most important provision of the proposed law is that it decriminalizes suicide. It will become law once the President approves it.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — The Mental Healthcare Bill 2016 ensures that each and every person has the right to access mental health care and treatment from government funded mental health services. Further, the bill ensures free treatment to homeless and poor persons. It will become law after the President clears it.

But the most important aspect of the Mental Healthcare Bill 2016 is the decriminalization of suicide. The bill ensures that a person who attempts suicide should be presumed to be suffering severe stress and shall not be punished.
According the provisions of the bill, "Any person who attempts to commit suicide shall be presumed, unless proved otherwise, to have severe stress and shall not be tried and punished under the Indian Penal Code."

Considering the growing number of mentally ill persons, which is estimated to be around 7 percent of India's population, the Mental Healthcare Bill 2016 is considered a necessary move by the government.