Posted by Acheick on March 14, 2002 at 18:48:42:
That Andrea Yates should have been declared insane and not guilty of murder? It seems that the preponderance of people who want her convicted of murder and even put to death are mothers. Let's back up here. These mothers are understandably shocked at the nature of the crime, who wouldn't be. It is for this reason, they claim, that no mother (in her right mind) would kill their own children. Hmm...that should say something right there. Andrea was not in her right mind then, wouldn't that be the deduction? I also don't think she would have killed her own children had she not had some serious form of mental illness. They say because she knew it was wrong, she was aware of the nature of the crime and that made her responsible. Do they know nothing of religous dogma? Of course it was wrong in man's eyes, but right in God's eyes. She was saving them.
I still say that her husband and the mental health professionals who treated her are vicariously responsible for 1) Rusty, as her husband, having her continue to have children when he knew she was not well and pumping her with religous fanaticism that added to her already unstable state 2) the health care professionals who did not see the seriousness and nature of the problem even after the first suicide attempt and the absolute catonic state she had gotten into.
This reminds me of Waco. How wrong can people get in their understanding or misunderstanding of human nature and what happens when the delicate balance goes awry. Putting her to death or convicting her of a crime does not bring back these children that slipped out of our fingers because of our lack of understanding.