Sections of the Criminal Offenses Act of 1960 that criminalised attempted suicide have been changed by Parliament.
With the amendment passed on Tuesday, any person who attempts to commit suicide will be considered to have a mental health problem that requires legal aid.
Ghanaian health specialists have been campaigning for the law to be altered, claiming that attempted suicide is a medical problem that requires medical attention rather than incarceration.
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Nonetheless, several politicians were opposed to the initiative to decriminalise attempted suicide.
Haruna Iddrisu, the former Minority Leader, called suicide attempts as undesirable behaviour that should be penalised and discouraged in 2019.
He stated that criminalising an attempt to commit suicide would go a long way to discourage Ghanaians, especially the youth, to appreciate that there was no reward in killing oneself.
Over 1,500 cases of suicide are reported nationwide every year.
