Petition · past parliament

Ban the use of "committed suicide" by public bodies or in any official context.

Closed 2,011 signatures

What the petition asks

Historically, this term originates from the criminal system. When my husband died by suicide I was told in public "I've heard your husband committed suicide he is a coward & should be ashamed of himself". No one came to my defence & I was devastated. Suicide is not a crime, eradicate this phrase.
I represent thousands of survivors who belong to the National charity Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide. We are a minority group at high risk of secondary suicides. This outdated term is on occasion used to verbally attack vulnerable survivors and the person who has died. If the survivor is feeling suicidal and has developed a plan the trigger could be the barrage of abuse often starting with those two negative words. Society should replace the term "committed suicide" with "died by suicide".

Timeline

27 Aug 2015 Petition opened for signatures
27 Feb 2016 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 2,011
Status Closed
Opened 27 Aug 2015
Closed 27 Feb 2016

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.