Article Figures & Data
Tables
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 finesSpecifically 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 finesArizona 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 finesCalifornia 401 Felony Up to life imprisonment Specifically criminalizes advising and encouraging
Legalizes physician-assisted suicideColorado 18-3-104 Manslaughter (Class 4 felony) Up to 6 years in prison
Up to $500,000 in finesLegalizes physician-assisted suicide Connecticut 952.53a-54a Causing suicide: murder (class A felony) Up to life imprisonment
Up to $20,000 in finesDefines 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 finesCriminalizes 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 suicideFlorida 782.08 Manslaughter (second degree felony) Up to 40 years in prison
Up to $10,000 in finesGeorgia 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 finesIdaho 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 finesSpecifically criminalizes physical and verbal coercion Suicide (Class 4 felony) Up to 6 years in prison
Up to $50,000 in finesCriminalizes strictly physical facilitation Attempted suicide (Class 3 felony) Up to 10 years in prison
Up to $50,000 in finesSpecifically criminalizes physical and verbal coercion Attempted suicide (Class A misdemeanor) Less than 1 year in prison
Up to $2,500 in finesCriminalizes 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 finesCriminalizes strictly physical facilitation Iowa 707A.2 Class C felony Up to 10 years in prison
Up to $10,000 in finesSpecifically criminalizes physical facilitation
Specifically criminalizes solicitation and incitementKansas 21-5407 Assisting suicide (level 3, person felony) Up to 100 years in prison
Up to $300,000 in finesDefines causation as through force or duress Assisting suicide (level 9, person felony) Up to 13 years in prison
Up to $100,000 in finesCriminalizes strictly physical facilitation Kentucky 216.302 Causing suicide (class C felony) Up to 10 years in prison
Up to $10,000 in finesDefines causation as through force or duress Assisting suicide (class D felony) Up to 5 years in prison
Up to $10,000 in finesCriminalizes strictly physical facilitation Louisiana 14:32.12 N/A Up to 10 years in prison
Up to $10,000 in finesSpecifically criminalizes advising and encouraging
Specifically criminalizes physical facilitationMaine 17-A, 204 Class D crime Up to 364 days in prison
Up to $2,000 in finesSpecifically criminalizes solicitation Maryland Criminal law, 3-102 Felony Up to 1 year in prison
Up to $10,000 in finesDefines causation as through coercion, duress, or deception
Specifically criminalizes physical facilitationMassachusetts 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 finesSpecifically criminalizes physical facilitation
Specifically criminalizes helping in planningMinnesota 609.215 Suicide Up to 15 years in prison
Up to $30,000 in finesAttempted suicide Up to 7 years in prison
Up to $14,000 in finesMississippi 97-3-49 Felony Up to 10 years in prison
Up to $1,000 in finesCriminalizes 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 finesSpecifically criminalizes solicitation
Does not criminalize physician-assisted suicideNebraska 28-307 Class IV felony Up to 2 years in prison
Up to $10,000 in finesNevada 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 finesSpecifically criminalizes solicitation Otherwise (misdemeanor) Up to 1 year in jail
Up to $2,000 in finesNew Jersey 2C:11-6 Causing suicide (crime of the second degree) Up to 10 years in prison
Up to $150,000 in finesOtherwise (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 finesNew York Penal law 125.15 Manslaughter in the second degree (class C felony) Up to 15 years in prison
Up to $15,000 in finesPunishable 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 finesPunishable 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 finesSpecifically criminalizes physical facilitation
Specifically criminalizes incitement and solicitationOhio 3795 Felony of the third degree Up to 60 months in prison
Up to $10,000 in finesCriminalizes strictly physical assistance Oklahoma 21-813 Felony Up to 2 years in prison
Up to $1,000 in finesCriminalizes 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 suicide163.193 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 finesQualifies as such if causation was through other means
Specifically criminalizes solicitationOtherwise (misdemeanor of the second degree) Up to 2 years in prison
Up to $5,000 in finesSpecifically criminalizes solicitation Rhode Island 11-60 Felony Up to 10 years in prison
Up to $10,000 in finesCriminalizes 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 facilitationSouth Dakota 22-16-37 Class 6 felony Up to 2 years in prison
Up to $4,000 in finesCriminalizes 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 finesCriminalizes 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 finesCriminalizes 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 finesCriminalizes 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 finesLegalizes 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 finesWyoming Not addressed ↵* As per the 2012 Annotations to the Montana Code Annotated by the Montana Legislative Services Division.
