The family of Conrad Roy, who died by suicide in 2014 after being coerced by his girlfriend Michelle Carter, will announce the filing of legislation Wednesday at the Massachusetts State House aimed at preventing suicidal coercion.
“Conrad’s Law” would punish those with prison time specifically for intentionally encouraging others to die by suicide, particularly if they know that person is experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Roy’s mother Lynn said the trial traumatized her and her daughters, and she wanted to move forward with legislation to “protect other families” and honor her son’s memory.
“I just want him to make a difference in the lives of other kids that are going through a similar situation,” she said.
Northeastern professor and WGBH legal analyst Daniel Medwed helped craft the bill, which is sponsored by Sen. Barry Finegold (D-Andover) and Rep. Natalie Higgins (D-Leominster). Medwed said when Michelle Carter was sentenced with two and a half years in prison for involuntary manslaughter, that conviction was controversial.
“A lot of people looked at this case and they said, 'Manslaughter? This isn't manslaughter, telling someone to kill themselves,'” Medwed said. “I think a lot of people reacted very viscerally to that charge.”
Following the high-profile court case, the Roy family contacted Medwed, and he worked on crafting a narrowly tailored bill that would punish people for inducing suicide.
“It's designed to send a deterrent message to people that it's not okay to pressure other people into committing suicide,” he said, “when you know about their suicidal tendencies.”
In 2017, following Carter's involuntary initial manslaughter conviction, the Massachusetts ACLU said in a statement that those charges violated free speech protections.
“There is no law in Massachusetts making it a crime to encourage someone, or even to persuade someone, to commit suicide. Yet Ms. Carter has now been convicted of manslaughter, based on the prosecution's theory that, as a 17-year-old girl, she literally killed Mr. Roy with her words,” ACLU Massachusetts Legal Director Matthew Segal wrote. “This conviction exceeds the limits of our criminal laws and violates free speech protections guaranteed by the Massachusetts and U.S. Constitutions.”
The Massachusetts ACLU did not respond to requests for comment.
In a statement, the bill’s lead co-sponsor, Sen. Mark Montigny, described current Massachusetts law as “ill equipped” to deal with suicidal coercion cases.
“We must do better to protect these vulnerable, young lives especially when teen bullying and suicide rates continue to increase,” he wrote. “If this legislation can prevent even just one tragedy and the pain and suffering that comes with it, then it is more than worth our best effort.”
Lynn Roy said a cultural climate of cyber bullying is another factor in her push for the bill.
“I can't imagine this ever happening again to another child,” she said. “You never know, with all the social media and all the texting and all that stuff … I just want something in honor of my son, even if it could help save one person.”
