Lawmakers Debate 'Conrad's Law' To Make Coerced Suicide A Crime

BOSTON (CBS) -- A mother who lost her son to suicide is encouraging lawmakers to pass a bill making coerced suicide a crime. "This is the only way that I can honor him is being there for others, making a difference," said Lynn Roy.

Lynn Roy testified in support of "Conrad's Law" during the Judiciary Committee on Beacon Hill Tuesday.

Her son Conrad took his life in 2014. His girlfriend, Michelle Carter, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for encouraging him to take his own life and is currently serving a 15-month sentence.

"It's incredibly sad. It's a sad situation and the fact that we just had another incident at Boston College just shows that there really is a need to have a law like this in place," said the bill's sponsor Senator Barry Finegold.

He said, right now, prosecutors are forced to use a manslaughter charge for cases like Carters, which allows for a lengthy legal process.

"If there was a coerced suicide on the books with the maximum penalty of five years, more than likely there would have been a plea agreement," said Finegold.

Lynn Roy said this bill isn't about getting justice for Conrad. It's about ending the stigma surrounding mental illness.

"All I want to do is move forward and do something positive in his memory," said Roy. "What happened with my son is tragic. I do not want another mother to ever feel the way I do."

The Judiciary Committee has until February to make a ruling on the bill before it can move on in the legislative process.