The woman in question is pregnant with her 6th child! Yep. That's right. According to the news her mental problems started appearing while she was still pregnant with her 3rd child! So here's the question. Why the hell was her husband allowing here to become pregnant time after time when he knew she was having these menatl problems and was currently unable to cope??? Any comments?
But, this is a rather big story here in the States. And I'm sure that some anti gun-control advocates will show this as proof positive that a tub full of water can be just as dangerous as guns. But I digress.
I don't want to speculate about these things, sorry. I have so little information about the incident or the couple's life prior to this, prejudice would probably get in the way.
The story essentially goes as this so far: the Yates family lived in a suburb of Houston called Clear Lake. The father, Russell Yates, worked for NASA, and the mother, Andrea Yates, stayed home to care for and school their children. At the time this happened, they had five children ages 7 years to 6 months.
Andrea Yates has had a history of mental illness. She developed post-partum depression after the birth of her fourth child nearly two years ago. She was prescribed on three anti-depressants and one anti-psychotic drug prior to this tragedy. Her doctor, for reasons unknown, took her off of the anti-psychotic drug and replaced it with another anti-depressant.
On the day this happened, Andrea Yates took her five children and drowned them in the bath tub one at a time. As she was drowning the fourth child, the oldest son walked in on her. She chased him through the house, grabbed him, and drowned him, too. After this, Andrea Yates called her husband at NASA and told him to come home immediately. All she told him was that something had happened to the kids. She then called the Sheriff's department and asked for them to do a welfare check on her home.
The Sheriff deputy arrived at the house and found the children. The father arrived home as the medical examiner arrived. Andrea Yates is currently in the county jail on suicide watch. The funerals for the five children were held yesterday.
Yes, it is an extremely sad story.
"Andrea Yates is currently in the county jail on suicide watch."
Personally, I'm surprised the husband/father hasn't killed himself. I can't even begin to imagine being able to deal w/ something like that...
That statement outraged quite a few people who said he should not have been talking to the media that soon, how could he say he still loves his wife after she killed his kids, etc. That's been his only news conference. There has been footage of him attending the candlelight vigil held outside his home, being comforted by neighbors, at the children's wake, and at the funeral (which, I was incorrect about, it was today not yesterday). He's been getting raked over the coals on the morning radio shows here. People have been saying he's responsible for not picking up on the signals of his wife's inner demons.
quote:
has had a history of mental illness
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birth of her fourth child
Is it just me, or doesn't anybody ELSE know that the situation should NEVER arise in which these two sentences are used together?
I'm sorry if this is a bit draconian, but people with mental illness shouldn't be having kids. It's irresponsible.
[ June 28, 2001: Message edited by: First of Two ]
On the other hand, my ex's sister also had Down Syndrome, but could carry on conversations, and interact with other people (as opposed to Duke, who gets up at 4, does a few chores around the farm, then sits in his underwear in front of the TV allnight).
...Fo2, rather surprised to hear you express that one sentiment.
I'm sorry if this is a bit draconian, but people with mental illness shouldn't be having kids. It's irresponsible.
I mean, people with mental illness generally can't regulate themselves to that bit. If they could reason: "gee, I'm sick in the head, I won't have any more kids", they wouldn't be mentally ill.
But the point I'm trying to make, is that it would essentially come down to the government (be that local, state, Federal or some combination of the three) to regulate the family habits of mentally ill patients.
People who KNOW that they're mentally ill shouldn't have children.
Generally, if you've been diagnosed, and are taking antidepressants/antipsychotics, you have a pretty good idea that you're mentally ill.
(And people who DON'T know that they're mentally ill should be TOLD.) 
"...how could he say he still loves his wife after she killed his kids..."
I don't understand how people could say that. If he loves her, he loves her. That shouldn't change just because she went insane. The whole kid-killing thing is irrelevant, really, because she didn't do it maliciously. I wouldn't expect him to hold it against her that she's a nutcase. "I loved you, and you went crazy on me! How dare you, you bitch!" Is that really what people expect? That's pretty sad, if they do...
-I fail to see what difference this could have on a man's love for his wife. There are many people that still love people that are insane murderous psychopaths, you can't just turn love off(sure wish it was possible) because of a specific event or anything, but I beleive that it fades over time if you and your partner no longer see in eachother the reason why you love each other.
-From the brief synopsis, these people are pure rednecks, there is no denying it, anyone that has six children and homescools them is a redneck, and no one can convince me that I'm wrong.
TSN: I agree with your sentiment and a few others here. Love is not a light switch that can be flipped off when convenient. A lot of the people that have been expressing the opinion that the husband should be ashamed of loving his wife through this cannot seem to grasp that fact. Yes, his wife murdered their five children, but, with as much pain as he's going through, he should still love his wife. They've spent many years building a life together and raising a family. Yes, the wife has essentially gone insane with fury and wrecked all of their dreams. However, I perfectly understand his desire to support her and his ability to love her.
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Originally posted by Jeff Kardde:
My Uncle Duke has a very bad case of Down Syndrome -- I always get a haircut before visiting my grandparents (he lives with them on their farm in Princess Anne, MD) because he enjoys grabbing my hair and YANKING it.
pardon the fact that this has absolutely nothing to do with the subject at hand, but I have to note that I live in Princess Anne, MD (or as I lovingly refer to it, East Bumfuck), and I find it surprising that anyone's ever HEARD of the town, much less has relatives here.
freaky.
What's next? A town called "Tony Blair"? A street named "Vogon Poet"? A state called "PsyLiam"? Where will the madness end?
Small world! Dukhat's a Marylander, too. Yes, my family owns a few farms in Princess Anne -- my grandparents own one, and some grand-uncles and cousins own some others. My grandfather's farm is off Arden Station Rd. near Washington High (and close to "Dead Man's Curve")
quote:
Originally posted by Sol System:
Oh yes, your cutting edge satire has got us quivering like bits of Jello stuck in a cyclotron.
I was ofcourse referring to the original remark about my satire, but I was foolish to think that anyone here has the mental capacity to get it.
So, regardless, Liam's sig is wrong. Especially since he attributes those words to Infinity, when I was the one who said them. :-)
And it doesn't say that Infinity said that. Merely that he believes that. Do you see? Ahhhh.