A. Any person who knowingly and intentionally, with the purpose of assisting another person to commit or attempt to commit suicide, (i) provides the physical means by which another person commits or attempts to commit suicide or (ii) participates in a physical act by which another person commits or attempts to commit suicide shall be liable for damages as provided in this section and may be enjoined from such acts.
§ 8.01-622.1.Injunction against assisted suicide; damages; professional sanctions.
Chapter 24. Injunctions · Last amended 2015 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceSection 8.01-622.1 lets family members, health care providers, or Virginia prosecutors sue to enjoin anyone who knowingly helps another person commit suicide, gives survivors a claim for compensatory and punitive damages, exposes complicit licensed providers to discipline, and expressly protects legitimate pain management and end-of-life care decisions.
Full Text of § 8.01-622.1
B. A cause of action for injunctive relief against any person who is reasonably expected to assist or attempt to assist a suicide may be maintained by any person who is the spouse, parent, child, sibling or guardian of, or a current or former licensed health care provider of, the person who would commit suicide; by an attorney for the Commonwealth with appropriate jurisdiction; or by the Attorney General. The injunction shall prevent the person from assisting any suicide in the Commonwealth.
C. A spouse, parent, child or sibling of a person who commits or attempts to commit suicide may recover compensatory and punitive damages in a civil action from any person who provided the physical means for the suicide or attempted suicide or who participated in a physical act by which the other person committed or attempted to commit suicide.
D. A licensed health care provider who assists or attempts to assist a suicide shall be considered to have engaged in unprofessional conduct for which his certificate or license to provide health care services in the Commonwealth shall be suspended or revoked by the licensing authority.
E. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or conflict with § 54.1-2971.01 or the Health Care Decisions Act (§ 54.1-2981 et seq.). This section shall not apply to a licensed health care provider who (i) administers, prescribes or dispenses medications or procedures to relieve another person's pain or discomfort and without intent to cause death, even if the medication or procedure may hasten or increase the risk of death, or (ii) withholds or withdraws life-prolonging procedures as defined in § 54.1-2982. This section shall not apply to any person who properly administers a legally prescribed medication without intent to cause death, even if the medication may hasten or increase the risk of death.
F. For purposes of this section:
"Licensed health care provider" means a physician, surgeon, podiatrist, osteopath, osteopathic physician and surgeon, physician assistant, nurse, dentist or pharmacist licensed under the laws of this Commonwealth.
"Suicide" means the act or instance of taking one's own life voluntarily and intentionally.
Plain-English Summary
This section builds a civil remedy around conduct that also carries criminal exposure elsewhere in the Code. Anyone who knowingly and intentionally provides the physical means for another person’s suicide, or who physically participates in the act, can be sued for damages and can be enjoined from doing it again.
The list of who may seek the injunction is specific: a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or guardian of the person who would die, a current or former licensed health care provider of that person, a local Commonwealth’s attorney with jurisdiction, or the Attorney General. Once granted, the injunction does not just protect one intended victim — it bars the enjoined person from assisting any suicide anywhere in Virginia.
Family survivors get a separate damages track: a spouse, parent, child, or sibling of someone who died or attempted suicide can recover both compensatory and punitive damages from whoever supplied the means or took part physically. A licensed health care provider who assists a suicide faces professional consequences on top of that — the conduct counts as unprofessional conduct requiring license suspension or revocation.
The statute is careful not to sweep in ordinary end-of-life care. It does not reach a provider who manages a patient’s pain without intent to cause death, even if the treatment carries some risk of hastening death, or who withholds or withdraws life-prolonging procedures consistent with the Health Care Decisions Act, or anyone who properly administers a legally prescribed medication without intent to cause death.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can sue for an injunction under this section?
A spouse, parent, child, sibling, or guardian of the person who would commit suicide, a current or former licensed health care provider of that person, an attorney for the Commonwealth with jurisdiction, or the Attorney General.
What does the injunction prohibit once it is granted?
It prevents the enjoined person from assisting any suicide in the Commonwealth, not only the specific act that prompted the lawsuit.
Who can recover damages after a suicide or attempted suicide?
A spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the person who died or attempted suicide may recover compensatory and punitive damages from whoever provided the physical means or participated in the physical act.
What happens to a licensed health care provider who assists a suicide?
The conduct is treated as unprofessional conduct, and the licensing authority must suspend or revoke the provider’s certificate or license.
Does this section apply to a doctor managing pain or honoring a decision to stop life-prolonging treatment?
No. It excludes a provider who relieves pain or discomfort without intent to cause death, who withholds or withdraws life-prolonging procedures under the Health Care Decisions Act, or anyone who properly administers a legally prescribed medication without intent to cause death.
Amendment History
1998, c. 624; 2015, c. 710.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Code of Virginia, published by the
Code of Virginia, Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems. Last verified July 16, 2026.
· Official source
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