29. Until 1961, the UK defined suicide as a criminal offense
Suicide is a tragedy, and mustn’t be treated flippantly, but old laws against it are a laughing stock. Until 1961, if you attempted suicide in the UK, instead of receiving help, you’d be punished. In 1958, for example, Lionel Henry Churchill got 6 months in prison after pleading guilty to attempted suicide. Others received hefty fines. Successful suicides lost their possessions to the state, leaving their families both grieving and destitute. However, the claim that attempted suicide was once a capital offense in the UK is an internet myth.
