Parts of the Criminal Offenses Act, 1960 Act 29, which criminalizes attempted suicide, have been adjusted by Parliament.

In August 2021, the Member of Parliament for Akatsi South and Ranking Member of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, proposed that the Bill criminalizing suicide be scrapped.

The chairman of the committee, Mr. Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, seconded the motion and said that if the Bill is approved into law, it will be a significant legislative step toward the transformation of Ghana's justice system.

On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 debating on the said subject Parliament concluded that, suicide attempts will now be regarded by the legislation as mental health conditions requiring assistance.

“An act to amend the criminal Offenses Act 1960, Act 29 to decriminalize attempted suicide and provide for related matter, the long title is hereby adapted,” Second Deputy Speaker Speaker of the Eighth Parliament, Andrew Asiamah Amoako said.

The proposer thanked the committee for supporting to pass the Act emphasing that “Mr speaker all over the world, attempted suicide is being decriminalize in the sense that life is one therefore for you to decide to take your life it ,means you are either going through a psychological problem as a result of which you cannot appreciate the nature and quality of the Act”

Parliament for sometime now has had several debates concerning the passage of the law.

Then Minority Leader, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, opposed calls for the country to decriminalize attempted suicide, characterizing it as an inappropriate behavior that should be punished and discouraged instead.

He contended that making suicide attempts illegal would significantly reduce the number of Ghanaians, particularly young people, who would consider suicide to be acceptable.

“You do not want to think that when you have depression and distress, the ultimate thing is that you go and take your life since you cannot recover your life back.

“If we do not criminalize Attempted Suicide as a country, then we are saying that it is a normal behavior, but this cannot be.

“Any person who has researched deeply into suicide will know that the only type of suicide that is behaviorally rewarding is the altruistic suicide during which the individual places societal values higher than his individual values,” he stated.