[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2161]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




THE SUZANNE GONZALES SUICIDE PROMOTION PUNISHMENT AND PREVENTION ACT OF 
                                  2006

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. WALLY HERGER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 7, 2006

  Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Suzanne Gonzales 
Suicide Promotion Punishment and Prevention Act of 2006 on behalf of 
families across the United States who have lost loved ones to suicide 
through information provided on Internet forums.
  On March 22, 2003, 19-year-old Suzanne Gonzales told her father, ``I 
love you, Dad. I'll see you soon.'' Hours later, she was dead. As a 
student attending college thousands of miles from home, Suzanne had 
become involved in an online discussion group that promotes suicide as 
a personal choice and a ``civil right.'' Other members of the group, 
using anonymous screen names, encouraged Suzanne to commit suicide and 
gave her step-by-step instructions on how to obtain and use potassium 
cyanide, a lethal substance used by jewelers to polish metal.
  It is difficult for most of us to imagine the grief of Suzanne's 
parents when they learned of their daughter's death. Their distress was 
only increased when prosecutors told them that there was no law under 
which the members of the online group, who had given Suzanne the 
necessary information to commit suicide, could be charged. While many 
states have laws prohibiting assistance to suicide, the individuals 
responsible for Suzanne's death could be residents of any state.
  Suicide is not just another personal choice. It is final and 
irreversible. Victims of suicide do not have an opportunity to learn 
from their mistake. And their actions have a lasting impact on their 
family and friends. The same Web site whose members encouraged Suzanne 
Gonzales to take her own life has been implicated in well over a dozen 
other suicides. Mr. Speaker, I believe it is time for Congress to take 
a stand. These sick and twisted individuals who prey on the despair and 
emotional distress of others ought to be held responsible for their 
actions.
  The legislation I am introducing would make it a federal crime to use 
facilities of interstate commerce, including the Internet, to provide a 
particular person with information or material support to commit 
suicide. It is narrowly tailored to avoid infringing on speech 
protected by the first amendment. And it recognizes the role of state 
governments as the primary sources of laws relating to suicide.
  This legislation is a sensible response to a real and growing 
problem, one that will bring wrongdoers to justice and hopefully help 
to prevent future tragedies like Suzanne Gonzales's. I urge my 
colleagues to join me in supporting it.

                          ____________________