Facilitated Suicide Legislation in Each U.S. State and the District of Columbia
| State | Law | Type of Crime | Type of Punishment | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 22-8B | Class C felony | Up to 10 years in prison Up to $15,000 in fines | Specifically criminalizes physical facilitation by health care providers |
| Alaska | 11.41.120 | Manslaughter (class A felony) | Up to 20 years in prison Up to $250,000 in fines | |
| Arizona | 13-1103 | Manslaughter (class 2 felony) | Up to 12.5 years in prison | Criminalizes strictly physical facilitation |
| Arkansas | 5-10-104 | Manslaughter (class C felony) | Up to 10 years in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | |
| California | 401 | Felony | Up to life imprisonment | Specifically criminalizes advising and encouraging Legalizes physician-assisted suicide |
| Colorado | 18-3-104 | Manslaughter (Class 4 felony) | Up to 6 years in prison Up to $500,000 in fines | Legalizes physician-assisted suicide |
| Connecticut | 952.53a-54a | Causing suicide: murder (class A felony) | Up to life imprisonment Up to $20,000 in fines | Defines causation as through force, duress, or deception |
| 952.53a-56 | Assisting suicide: manslaughter (class C felony) | Up to 10 years in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | Criminalizes causing or aiding by means other than force, duress, or deception | |
| Delaware | 632 | Manslaughter (class B felony) | Up to 25 years in prison | |
| District of Columbia | Common law | Refers to “the crime of assisted suicide” in 7-651.13 Legalizes physician-assisted suicide | ||
| Florida | 782.08 | Manslaughter (second degree felony) | Up to 40 years in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | |
| Georgia | 16-5-5 | Felony | Up to 10 years in prison | Criminalizes strictly physical facilitation |
| Hawaii | 707-702 | Manslaughter (class A felony) | Up to 20 years in prison Up to $50,000 in fines | |
| Idaho | 18-4017 | Felony | Up to 5 years in prison | Criminalizes strictly physical facilitation |
| Illinois | 720 ILCS 5/12-34.5 | Suicide (Class 2 felony) | Up to 14 years in prison Up to $50,000 in fines | Specifically criminalizes physical and verbal coercion |
| Suicide (Class 4 felony) | Up to 6 years in prison Up to $50,000 in fines | Criminalizes strictly physical facilitation | ||
| Attempted suicide (Class 3 felony) | Up to 10 years in prison Up to $50,000 in fines | Specifically criminalizes physical and verbal coercion | ||
| Attempted suicide (Class A misdemeanor) | Less than 1 year in prison Up to $2,500 in fines | Criminalizes strictly physical facilitation | ||
| Indiana | 35-42-1-2 | Causing suicide (level 3 felony) | Up to 16 years in prison | Defines causation as through force, duress, or deception |
| 35-42-1-2.5 | Assisting suicide (level 5 felony) | Up to 6 years in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | Criminalizes strictly physical facilitation | |
| Iowa | 707A.2 | Class C felony | Up to 10 years in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | Specifically criminalizes physical facilitation Specifically criminalizes solicitation and incitement |
| Kansas | 21-5407 | Assisting suicide (level 3, person felony) | Up to 100 years in prison Up to $300,000 in fines | Defines causation as through force or duress |
| Assisting suicide (level 9, person felony) | Up to 13 years in prison Up to $100,000 in fines | Criminalizes strictly physical facilitation | ||
| Kentucky | 216.302 | Causing suicide (class C felony) | Up to 10 years in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | Defines causation as through force or duress |
| Assisting suicide (class D felony) | Up to 5 years in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | Criminalizes strictly physical facilitation | ||
| Louisiana | 14:32.12 | N/A | Up to 10 years in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | Specifically criminalizes advising and encouraging Specifically criminalizes physical facilitation |
| Maine | 17-A, 204 | Class D crime | Up to 364 days in prison Up to $2,000 in fines | Specifically criminalizes solicitation |
| Maryland | Criminal law, 3-102 | Felony | Up to 1 year in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | Defines causation as through coercion, duress, or deception Specifically criminalizes physical facilitation |
| Massachusetts | Common law | First- or second-degree murder | Up to life imprisonment | |
| Michigan | 750.329a | Felony | Up to 5 years in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | Specifically criminalizes physical facilitation Specifically criminalizes helping in planning |
| Minnesota | 609.215 | Suicide | Up to 15 years in prison Up to $30,000 in fines | |
| Attempted suicide | Up to 7 years in prison Up to $14,000 in fines | |||
| Mississippi | 97-3-49 | Felony | Up to 10 years in prison Up to $1,000 in fines | Criminalizes assistance in any manner, including advising and encouraging |
| Missouri | 565.023.1 | Voluntary manslaughter (class B felony) | Up to 15 years in prison | |
| Montana | 45-5-102 | Assisting suicide (criminal homicide) | Up to life imprisonment | Although not clearly stated in the statute, assisting suicide is a homicide offense as per the Montana Criminal Law Commission* |
| 45-5-105 | Assisting attempted suicide | Up to 10 years in prison Up to $50,000 in fines | Specifically criminalizes solicitation Does not criminalize physician-assisted suicide | |
| Nebraska | 28-307 | Class IV felony | Up to 2 years in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | |
| Nevada | Not addressed | Specifies that it does not authorize “assisted suicide” in 449.670 | ||
| New Hampshire | 630:4 | Causing suicide (class B felony) | Up to 7 years in prison Up to $4,000 in fines | Specifically criminalizes solicitation |
| Otherwise (misdemeanor) | Up to 1 year in jail Up to $2,000 in fines | |||
| New Jersey | 2C:11-6 | Causing suicide (crime of the second degree) | Up to 10 years in prison Up to $150,000 in fines | |
| Otherwise (crime of the fourth degree) | Up to 18 months in prison | |||
| New Mexico | 30-2-4 | Fourth-degree felony | Up to 18 months in prison Up to $5,000 in fines | |
| New York | Penal law 125.15 | Manslaughter in the second degree (class C felony) | Up to 15 years in prison Up to $15,000 in fines | Punishable as murder (class A-I felony) if the person “causes or aids the suicide by the use of duress or deception” |
| Penal law 120.30 | Promoting a suicide attempt (class E felony) | Up to 4 years in prison Up to $5,000 in fines | Punishable as attempt to commit murder (class A-I felony) under penal law 120.35 if the person “causes or aids the suicide attempt by the use of duress or deception” | |
| North Carolina | Not addressed | |||
| North Dakota | 12.1-16-04 | Causing suicide (class AA felony) | Up to life imprisonment | Defines causation as through deception, coercion, or duress |
| Assisting suicide (class C felony) | Up to 5 years in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | Specifically criminalizes physical facilitation Specifically criminalizes incitement and solicitation | ||
| Ohio | 3795 | Felony of the third degree | Up to 60 months in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | Criminalizes strictly physical assistance |
| Oklahoma | 21-813 | Felony | Up to 2 years in prison Up to $1,000 in fines | Criminalizes assistance in any manner, including advising and encouraging |
| Oregon | 163.125 | Manslaughter in the second degree (class B felony) | Up to 10 years in prison | Specifically criminalizes physical facilitation Legalizes physician-assisted suicide |
| 163.193 | Assisting another person to commit suicide (class B felony) | Up to $250,000 in fines | ||
| Pennsylvania | Title 18, 2505 | Causing suicide (criminal homicide) | Up to life imprisonment | Qualifies as such if causation was through force, duress, or deception |
| Causing suicide (felony of the second degree) | Up to 10 years in prison Up to $25,000 in fines | Qualifies as such if causation was through other means Specifically criminalizes solicitation | ||
| Otherwise (misdemeanor of the second degree) | Up to 2 years in prison Up to $5,000 in fines | Specifically criminalizes solicitation | ||
| Rhode Island | 11-60 | Felony | Up to 10 years in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | Criminalizes strictly physical facilitation |
| South Carolina | 16-3-1090 | Felony | Up to 15 years in prison | Defines causation as through force or duress Specifically criminalizes physical facilitation |
| South Dakota | 22-16-37 | Class 6 felony | Up to 2 years in prison Up to $4,000 in fines | Criminalizes assistance in any manner, including advising and encouraging |
| Tennessee | 39-13-216 | Class D felony | Up to 12 years in prison Up to $5,000 in fines | Criminalizes strictly physical facilitation |
| Texas | Penal code 22.08 | Causing suicide or serious bodily injury (state jail felony) | Up to 2 years in jail Up to $10,000 in fines | Criminalizes facilitation and attempting to facilitate |
| Assisting suicide (class C misdemeanor) | Up to $500 in fines | |||
| Utah | 76-5-205 | Manslaughter (felony of the second degree) | Up to 15 years in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | Criminalizes strictly physical facilitation |
| Vermont | Common law | Legalizes physician-assisted suicide | ||
| Virginia | 8.01-622.1 | Civil liability | Liability for damages | Punishes strictly physical facilitation |
| Washington | 9A.36.060 | Class C felony | Up to 5 years in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | Legalizes physician-assisted suicide |
| West Virginia | Common law | Refers to “the crime of assisting suicide” in 16-30-14 | ||
| Wisconsin | 940.12 | Class H felony | Up to 6 years in prison Up to $10,000 in fines | |
| Wyoming | Not addressed | |||
↵* As per the 2012 Annotations to the Montana Code Annotated by the Montana Legislative Services Division.