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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, World Suicide Prevention Day was first recognized
3in 2003 as an initiative of the International Association for
4Suicide Prevention and endorsed by the World Health
5Organization, to provide worldwide commitment and action to
6prevent suicides; various activities take place around the
7world on this day; World Suicide Prevention Day takes place
8each year on September 10; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The International Association for Suicide
10Prevention reports that every year more than 800,000 people die
11by suicide, and up to 25 times as many make a suicide attempt;
12on average, one person in Illinois dies by suicide every six
13hours, and in this State, nearly twice as many people die by
14suicide than by homicide, as reported by the American
15Foundation for Suicide Prevention; behind these statistics are
16the individual stories of those who have, for many different
17reasons, questioned the value of their own lives; and
 
18    WHEREAS, There is no single cause for suicide; the warning
19signs of suicide include a change in behavior or the presence
20of entirely new behaviors; if the new or changed behavior is
21related to a painful event, loss, or change, it is of utmost
22concern; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Regardless of a person's circumstances,
2communities have an important role to play in supporting those
3who are vulnerable; that sentiment is reflected in the 2017
4World Suicide Prevention Day theme, "Take a minute, change a
5life"; as members of communities, it is our responsibility to
6look out for those who may be struggling, check in with them,
7and encourage them to tell their stories; broaching the topic
8of suicide is difficult, but taking a minute to reach out to
9someone can change the course of a life; and
 
10    WHEREAS, People who have lived through a suicide attempt
11have much to teach about how the words and actions of others
12are important; almost universally, they say that if someone had
13taken a minute, the trajectory that they were on could have
14been interrupted; and
 
15    WHEREAS, World Suicide Prevention Day is a time to
16acknowledge the importance of families and communities working
17together to achieve the common goal of preventing suicide;
18therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
20HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
21designate September 10, 2017 as World Suicide Prevention Day in
22the State of Illinois; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That we encourage communities throughout the
2State to take a minute to change a life and promote suicide
3prevention across the State of Illinois.