Sanctioned Suicide
Type of site | Internet Forum |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Diego Joaquín Galante and Lamarcus Small |
| URL |
|
| Registration | Optional |
| Users | 29,205[1] |
| Launched | March 2018[2] |
| Current status | Online |
Sanctioned Suicide is an internet forum co-founded in 2018 by Diego Joaquín Galante and Lamarcus Small, known respectively by online pseudonyms Marquis and Serge, as the successor to the banned subreddit r/SanctionedSuicide.[2][3] The forum is dedicated to approaching the topic of suicide from a pro-choice perspective and notably does not restrict discussion on suicide methods.[3][4]
The site draws over 6 million page views per month and as of February 2023, the forum has over 29,000 members.[5][1] The site is funded primarily through donations.[2]
The forum has generated intense scrutiny from news outlets and government officials for the condoning and encouragement of suicide by members and the description of specific suicide methods.[3][6][7][8] Access to the forum has been restricted in Australia, Italy, and Germany.[3][9][10] In addition, the encouragement of suicide is illegal in every US state.[11]
History
r/SanctionedSuicide and Sanctioned Suicide have been described as the successors of Usenet newsgroup alt.suicide.holiday and a homonymously named forum accessible through the Tor network.[4][12][13]
On March 14, 2018, the r/SanctionedSuicide subreddit was banned for breaking Reddit's rules on the promotion of violence, prompting Galante and Small to create the site.[2][14] Following the doxxing of the two co-founders by the New York Times in 2021, Galante and Small resigned as administrators, turning the site over to a member going by the username RainAndSadness.[6]
Criticism
Galante and Small have been found to also run a number of incel and manosphere related sites where members condone, downplay, or advocate violence against women.[2][15]
In March 2020, the site was removed from online search results in Germany and taken down in compliance with German law.[3] Prosecutors in Italy blocked access to the site in June 2021 following the deaths of two Italian teenagers by suicide.[9] A December 2021 New York Times article identified 45 people who died by suicide after spending time on the website.[3] In response, Uruguayan law enforcement has launched an investigation against Galante, who resides in Uruguay.[6][16]
See also
- r/SanctionedSuicide
- alt.suicide.holiday
- Right to die
- Advocacy of Suicide
- Suicide Prevention
- Suicide
- Suicide methods
References
- ^ a b "Sanctioned Suicide". Sanctioned Suicide. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ a b c d e Nashrulla, Tasneem. "Incels Are Running An Online Suicide Forum That Was Blamed For A Young Woman's Death". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ a b c d e f Twohey, Megan; Dance, Gabriel J. X. (2021-12-09). "Where the Despairing Log On, and Learn Ways to Die". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ a b "People Are Dying After Joining a 'Pro-Choice' Suicide Forum". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ "Trahan Leads Bipartisan Call for Action to Stop "Sanctioned Suicide" Website". U.S. Representative Lori Trahan. 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ a b c Dance, Gabriel J. X.; Twohey, Megan (2021-12-21). "Lawmakers Urge Big Tech to 'Mitigate Harm' of Suicide Site and Seek Justice Inquiry". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ Schnell, Mychael (2021-12-21). "Lawmakers call on tech firms to take threat of suicide site seriously, limit its visibility". The Hill. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ "Shawn's Law; a bill to combat aided suicide". WITF. 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ a b "Site blocked for helping youngsters to kill themselves - English". ANSA.it. 2021-06-07. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ "A pro-suicide website linked to deaths is now blocked to Australians, but not because of the families who spoke out". ABC News. 2022-11-21. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ Suicide and its prevention : the role of attitude and imitation. R. F. W. Diekstra, World Health Organization. Leiden: E.J. Brill. 1989. ISBN 90-04-08613-7. OCLC 16900864.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "The Strange Legacy Of The Internet's First Sanctioned Suicide Forum". Vocativ. 2016-12-05. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ "The Deep Web Suicide Site". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ "SanctionedSuicide: banned". Reddit. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ Lorenz, Taylor (2022-09-23). "The online incel movement is getting more violent and extreme, report says". Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ "Disturbing website encourages vulnerable users to die by suicide. What's being done about it?". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2023-02-10.