Prompted suicide is the same as manslaughter

Michelle Carter was found guilty and convicted of involuntary manslaughter after text messages revealed she urged her boyfriend to “get back in” his truck as it was filling with carbon monoxide.

Aiding and abetting suicide is a crime in a lot of countries. Carter is guilty of vicariously killing the boy. She deserves to be punished. Margaret Kramer

The judge got it wrong. Carter’s actions were undeniably awful, but not manslaughter. Wayne Leslie

Just because Carter is a young, pretty white blonde does not make her innocent. She is an evil, cold-blooded person who encouraged her boyfriend to kill himself after he had second thoughts and got out of the truck. When she told him to get back into the truck and follow through with his suicide was the moment she became respon- sible for his death. If she did not care enough to get him help by contacting the authorities or at least his parents, then she should have shut her mouth (stop texting him), so the decision to kill himself would have been his own. Charity Smith

We have laws in this country for and against assisted suicide. While the verdict in this instance is justified, I do fear that the precedent will be perverted to prosecute people who simply stand by while someone in pain takes his own life. David Hogg

What she said was awful and immoral, but manslaughter is an awful stretch. I would definitely appeal this ruling because it could be unconstitutional. The judge did not do his job and should be ashamed of himself. John Chambard

If you instruct someone to kill himself, is it any different than instructing someone else to kill him? People need to start paying for their own actions. Carol Ottinger