HR 313 — A Resolution recognizing the week of September 7 through 13, 2025, as "National Suicide Prevention Week" in Pennsylvania.

PRINTER'S NO.    2301

                  THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



           HOUSE RESOLUTION
              No. 313
                                              Session of
                                                2025

     INTRODUCED BY O'MARA, OTTEN, McNEILL, SANCHEZ, HANBIDGE, PROBST,
        GUZMAN, RABB, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, MADDEN, SHUSTERMAN, SAMUELSON,
        WARREN, HOHENSTEIN, HILL-EVANS AND CIRESI, SEPTEMBER 10, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES, SEPTEMBER 11, 2025


                               A RESOLUTION
 1   Recognizing the week of September 7 through 13, 2025, as
 2      "National Suicide Prevention Week" in Pennsylvania.
 3      WHEREAS, Suicide is defined as someone taking his or her own
 4   life with conscious intent by lethal means, including a firearm,
 5   poisoning, suffocation or other self-injury; and
 6      WHEREAS, More than 49,000 Americans, including 1,976
 7   Pennsylvanians, died by suicide in 2023; and
 8      WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's suicide rate was 15.2 per 100,000
 9   people as of 2023; and
10      WHEREAS, Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in
11   Pennsylvania; and
12      WHEREAS, In 2023, more than twice the number of
13   Pennsylvanians died by suicide than by homicide; and
14      WHEREAS, Due to the stigma, it is suspected that suicide is
15   generally underreported; and
16      WHEREAS, Prevention, education, advocacy, public policy and
17   community support are keys to addressing suicide stigma; and
 1      WHEREAS, The sensitive use of suicide-related language is
 2   also essential to eliminating suicide stigma; and
 3      WHEREAS, The term "committed suicide" implies a level of
 4   criminality while "completed suicide" implies earlier attempts
 5   when there may have been none; and
 6      WHEREAS, Both terms perpetuate the stigma associated with
 7   suicide and are strongly discouraged; and
 8      WHEREAS, Using the word "successful" or "failed" to describe
 9   suicide is also discouraged; and
10      WHEREAS, "Died by suicide" or "died of suicide" as well as
11   "suicide death" and "fatal suicide behavior" are recommended
12   language; therefore be it
13      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
14   week of September 7 through 13, 2025, as "National Suicide
15   Prevention Week" in Pennsylvania; and be it further
16      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives encourage the
17   residents of this Commonwealth to utilize the sensitive language
18   that does not perpetuate the stigma of suicide or imply
19   criminality when reporting a death by suicide.




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