The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) issued a Press Release to announce the incredible news that from this past weekend and we are thrilled to share it here!
“On Saturday, October 17, after passing unanimously out of Congress, the President of the United States signed the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act (S.2661) into law. This historic legislation will support the full implementation of the three-digit “9-8-8″ dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline through funding guidance, federal reporting, and specialized services for at-risk communities like LGBTQ-youth and Veterans. A well-resourced, easy-to-remember 988 crisis hotline will increase access to necessary resources and support in times of crisis that will save lives. This is a major victory for the suicide prevention movement. Of the nearly 20,000 bills introduced in a Congressional session, less than 1,000 are ever passed by Congress and signed into law.”
We want to THANK YOU each and every one of you helped make this possible –all of you who advocated by calling your Members of Congress, serving as boots on the ground, raised your voice for the voiceless –you helped make this Law a reality. We also thank all the Members of Congress who made this possible. To that end, if your Members of Congress were co-sponsors of the legislation, please consider calling their office(s) to say, “Thank you!” as they probably do not hear those two words nearly enough. You can find a list of Senators who were co-sponsorshere and a list of Representatives here. When you call, just let whomever answers the phone know that you are a constituent and want to pass along a message of thanks to the Member of Congress
Also, please note: The 9-8-8 crisis hotlinewill not be nationally available until July 2022. In the meantime, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-8255) or use the Crisis Text Line by texting the word “talk” to 741-741.
If you are struggling with feeling like your life needs to end, please do not follow-through on those thoughts –they are temporary, but suicide is permanent. Reach out for help and KNOW that there IS hope for YOU –hope for your brighter days ahead and for a life free from thinking that the world would be better off without you. Indeed, you are very necessary. Get help today if you need help -you deserve it.
