Attempted suicide: Akpabio’s punitive stance, demand care for survivors

By Sola Ogundipe
The debate over the decriminalisation of attempted suicide bill took an unexpected turn in the Senate on October 13. Sponsor of the bill, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, representing Cross River South, had argued that criminal punishment could discourage people in distress from seeking help and push others towards more fatal attempts. Ekpenyong warned that retaining criminal penalties could produce precisely the outcome the country is trying to prevent. “If people who attempt suicide and survive face imprisonment, they may do everything within their power to ensure that a subsequent attempt is fatal. We are trying to prevent that,” he said. The Senate President’s response was...