Very interesting but then will you love that kid the same as your real blooded kid? Everytime you look at that kid, wouldn't s/he remind you of what happened to your wife? Will there be any psychological effect on the kid if s/he finds out that s/he was the result of what happened? Personally, I wouldn't know what to do but most likely I wouldn't want my wife to carry thru............For sure, it would be a real tough situation to be in.

 

Who said, \"Those who don't learn from the past are condemned to repeat it?\" (click on second headline on left)

At this point Andrea Yates life is over. If not by her hand it will ultimately be by the state. Condemnation in this case is easy. Understanding in the hopes of preventing the next tragedy is not. I don't buy into the "I was abused as a child, therefore I kill" strategy as is often used by those who get their kicks out of others misery. However, this is a very different case. There were many cries for help and a general lack of understanding in how seriously overwhelmed and disturbed she was as demonstrated by the children being left in her care. She was left in charge of their emotional and intellectual development despite the fact that hers was clearly an issue. Why? Pointing fingers no. Ultimately, she's responsible. But what drove her to do something so inhumane and by her friends, family and husbands accounts, against everything she ever stood for?

 

I agree in the pursuit to understand what has happened. And that her life is over as we know it.

Unfortunately, we may never really know beyond her depression the root cause of the murders......human psyche is still a mysterious and murky realm. Perhaps we were never really meant to understand. Who knows.

 

As to post-pardem depression, I find the whole subject of depression very squishy and unreliable. I've been depressed before, and felt very low and had some bad thoughts as a result, but I think the line between depressed and insane is drawn when you act on those thoughts.

I understand that women suffer massive hormonal shifts after giving birth, but I don't believe that these are the full cause for homocides like this. I tend to believe that women lash out at their children because they can't face the added pressures of motherhood. This is a wholly unscientific belief, but I think I'm right.

As for this particular woman, how is it that she is diagnosed with PPD and then put on a suicide watch, and then left alone with her kids after the birth of her next child? I actually think that it was totally irresponsible of her to have another child after she was clearly predisposed to this type of problem.

Can any doctors weigh in on this aspect?

 

If you think it was irresponsible of her to have another child, what about the father???? It takes two to tango.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Lips2000
[B]

It reminds me of the lady a couple of years ago who drove her two kids into a lake and then denied the whole thing. She tried to claim insanity but the jury didn