I wanted to take a few minutes to post a little bit about the Andrea Yates verdict. BigDaddyFish is having a little trouble with the idea that I sympathize so much with this woman; I feel the verdict in the trial was the correct one, and I really have trouble with the idea that the other people involved in this horrible tragedy are not being held accountable.
Yes, the others. Rusty Yates in particular.
You see, I've been in a situation similar enough to be able to identify with this poor woman. No, I never killed any kids, or did them any harm. I wouldn't ever. But I AM able to recognize getting close to the line more times than I can count; I've yelled too loud and too often, been rougher with them than I should have, spanked them. I've had to put MYSELF in time out to make sure no one got hurt, so that I could calm down and be rational. I've dealt with the awful guilt I felt every time I didn't get myself into time out fast enough. I recognized before I stayed at home with my kids that dealing with the emotional isolation, the overwhelming nature of dealing with small irrational people all day long with few breaks and few interactions with other adult, rational people would be the biggest challenge I would face, and did what I needed to to address that.
I've also been depressed. Horribly, awfully, wish I would die depressed. I still had the wherewithall to recognize I was in trouble, and to get help. I had a supportive spouse who did what he could to help. It stressed our marriage; we are blessed that we made it. But he helped.
But Rusty Yates not only didn't help, he made the situation worse. Both Yates' were warned that Andrea shouldn't have any more children because of her unstable mental condition. She had attempted suicide. She had been institutionalized. Yet he not only told her she needed to have as many kids as God would allow, but encouraged her to homeschool them, too! He, and the mental health system and child protection system in Texas, failed Andrea. More importantly, they failed those 5 innocent children.
Since we don't have a "Guilty, but insane" defense in this country (do we? I would be happy if we did), I believe the verdict is the right one. Andrea Yates didn't have depression like I did. She had psychosis. She thought she was protecting her children from Satan and Hell by killing them while they were children. In a peculiar way that most of us can't identify with, isn't this just her maternal insticts working? If we thought a predator was after our children, wouldn't we rational people do everything we could to protect our kids? My father is bipolar, and I know from dealing with his illness for more than 25 years that the mentally ill can no more turn their illness on and off at their convenience, as some have suggested that the Post Partum Psychosis is simply a convenient excuse for Andrea, than they can stop a heart attack or make their bodies thinner or make an inactive thyroid make the right amount of hormone just by willing it to do so. Andrea Yates was not in control and did not understand what she did was wrong. Period. So she will be where she needs to be.
The jury in this case needed to override their emotions about the horrible end these children faced, and arrive at the true and just verdict. It is right and just that they did not let feelings of revenge or retribution over the loss of those five innocents prevent them from making the right decision about their mother. IF she ever "gets well" she will have to live with the fact of what she did for the rest of her life, and that is punishment enough. I just hope Rusty Yates has an active imagination. I wonder how he sleeps at night.
hi...I'm delurking here because I stop by from time to time, but I just had to comment--I KNOW! I don't know what that man was thinking. I saw a documentary on this case on tv a while ago and was shocked at the dad's ignorance...he had plenty of clear-cut signals (including direct instructions from licensed physicians) that the mom was in deep trouble BEFORE the last child. Women aren't meant to have children until they drop...if they don't believe in birth control, perhaps they should stop having sex! I also couldn't get the image out of my mind that this man was turned on by this poor woman in such distress and continued to go about his merry way...I have faith too, but I don't push someone off a cliff and then pray to God to save them! From the description of her life I can't imagine living the way they were living and then having five children on top of it, AND THEN postpartum psychosis?! The whole story is awful and she did what she did, but her husband should have a lot to answer for.
Posted by: moonstruckmama | August 01, 2006 at 07:48 PM
Bravo! Bravo! I think we step on a very slippery slope when we vilify one single person in a very complex situation. Especially when that person has a disease of the brain that makes decison making difficult if not impossible. When someone is sick, especially in this way, their family and friends have a responsiblity to make sure everyone is safe. I agree with you that Mr. Yates ignored many of the warning signs. He may have been busy, he may have been in denial, but he cannot say that he had not been informed. While he did not actively harm those children, his neglect of the situation, in my opinion, makes him culpable too. I just hope that this case brings this problem and the need individuals to attend to the problem to the attention of those going through it.
Posted by: Carol | August 02, 2006 at 10:40 AM