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is unwise to keep an antiquated law that is being enforced and brings great hardships on the persons who attempt suicide and the families who have to find money for lawyers which they may ill afford. I call on Guyana’s capable lawmakers to amend the suicide law to decriminalise suicide attempts, except when vile and vicious criminals try to kill themselves before prosecution.
Furthermore, I call on Government, NGOs and medical professionals who deal with mental health issues to increase public awareness of suicide-triggers like acute emotional distress and depression, along with the familiar monsters of alcohol and drug use and dysfunctional families. Of course, alongside the suicide law there are many out-of-date, useless laws clogging up our law books that make it look like Guyana is lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to lawmaking. But that’s another story for another time.