Woman kills her 2 children b/c of postpartum depression & gets 8 years prison time

[Revi]

Postpartum depression is very common, it's not any sort of mitigating condition when committing murder.

[sharpy]

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/...icle-1.2640369
Oh great she also gave them a windshield wiper fluid mixed with grape juice before drowning them in a bathtub.
Wish she got a ton longer sad..

[Nerdgasm]

I'm going to be honest, this trully a complex question. There's a whole medical and philosofical approach to it. I'm still doing my clerkship, but I deal with cases of ppd on a daily basis, some cases are really sad with the mother dumping her child inside trash cans and other things.

People need to understand that postpartum depression is A THING. This isn't some kind of excuse to pat women in the back. While we don't know exacly the causes, it's clearly a biological response towards the childbirth process. It's going to happen and sometimes it's going to happen really bad, turning into puerperal psychosis.

I can understand the skeptcism people show since there are many cases where the whole "mental health" thing is used as a away to run away from criminal responsability. But yeah, PPD is real. If it's being used as an excuse is another thing.

The philosofical (or legal) side of it is: how should society approach criminal acts commited while under psychotic episodes or other illness. Should they be punished, treated, locked, or what? Should a soldier be held responsible for actions caused by PTSD or other mental illnesses? What is the line between mental illness, temporary lack of controll and sanity. Are people who kill actually sane? Etc.

For the poll, I think it depends on the cases. However, no matter the case, people should receive the proper medical care.

[TwoNineMarine]

Well if this was a man who would be totally insane, than he should get the same treatment - a sentence for killing / homicide, not murder, and a psychological therapy.

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If you brain does not function properly, how can you speak of murder? If people are totally drunk and kill someone in a fit of rage, then it's homicide. With mental disorders, this is the same case.

Insanity shouldn't ever be an excuse for murder. Regardless of gender.

[Dug]

Yes its murder but of course some sort of mental illness is playing into this. It's not natural at all for women to feel like they need to murder their children. Something is seriously wrong up stairs. Doesn't mean a free pass from consequences though and 8 years is far too short of a punishment. But a mental institution would do her better than a regular prison where she won't get the help she needs.

[Wildtree]

Limited liability.
Prison sentence to be served in a mental health jail facility.

[Narbootz]

I think if mental health didnt have such a stigma attached to it people would be more likely to seek help and maybe this wouldnt happen as often. Could also be the best shot they and their defense team have at winning the case.

Depends on the case.

[Nerdgasm]

If you can't even keep that amount of control you're a liability to society and we're probably better off without you.

While I do agree with you about that, it's hard to use the same logic to PPD/PPP.

We are talking about something that is statistically inherent to childbirth/labor, and most of the time is temporary. By the same logic, pregnancy is potentially a liability.

To smuggle weed and getting caught in Norway will land you a bigger sentence than raping/killing someone. Guy got 18 years for smuggling weed (granted, a lot), someone participated in gangrape and got 5 years or something Logic

Wow. D:

[oplawlz]

I'm not sure why it needs to be either or - she is absolutely mentally ill, and she absolutely needs to be removed from society. I think an institute for the criminally insane would have been a better choice, but I don't have much sympathy for someone who would kill young children regardless of the reason, either.

[Kakera]

Weak fuck. I was a foster child was abused by my parents and dealt with numerous other shit. I'm not depressed. Deal with life as it comes or you're a weak fuck that deserves to die. Glad she's in jail get those kids some help before they end up like her trash mother.

[Teebone]

The only surprise in this story was New York. Seriously, this shit has Texas written all over it.

[Nerdgasm]

Weak fuck. I was a foster child was abused by my parents and dealt with numerous other shit. I'm not depressed. Deal with life as it comes or you're a weak fuck that deserves to die. Glad she's in jail get those kids some help before they end up like her trash mother.

That's some really good knowledge about how depression works.

We should rewrite our books.

[Dug]

Weak fuck. I was a foster child was abused by my parents and dealt with numerous other shit. I'm not depressed. Deal with life as it comes or you're a weak fuck that deserves to die. Glad she's in jail get those kids some help before they end up like her trash mother.

That you think people who suffer from depression deserve to die means you didn't turn out all that well there, champ. Might want to go talk to a specialist about that.

Also, you're lying just to fit your edgy narrative.

[Deleted]

Please tell me more about how society is sexists because men cannot get postpartum psychoses.

No, society is sexist, because women get lower sentences across the board.
This is just an example of that.

[Wildtree]

That's some really good knowledge about how depression works.

We should rewrite our books.

I agree....
For what it's worth:
By chance I've just had a call from a friend who is an expert. She's teaching medicine stuff at a University here.
Since the thread was in front of me, I've asked..
Postpartum depression is a very serious mental illness, and depending on the progress of the illness can be a full blown psychosis.
The people suffering from it may no longer be able to make rational decisions.
The woman in the OP is subject to psychiatric supervision and treatment.

[Aurabolt]

...During the recession, there were incidents that made national headlines. In all three cases, a husband killed his wife and all of their children ranging in age from newborn to 13 before killing themselves. In one of the three cases they set the family home on fire. Their reasons for doing it were all the same: They could no longer afford to take care of the family and didn't want the state to have their kids so...yeah.

Postpartum Depression is no joke. Neither is Prenatal depression. Women with a history of depression or mental illness should be closely monitored during the pregnancy and up to 2 years after giving birth to avoid this outcome from being possible. Problem is America doesn't take mental health seriously at all >.>:

The only surprise in this story was New York. Seriously, this shit has Texas written all over it.

I was thinking Florida actually. LOL.

[Kaganfindel]

She's got to live with what she's done. Caging her would be pointless, and killing her would be merciful.

[Shakadam]

Never run into a mentally ill person then I take it?
While I understand there are "degrees" of mental illness...there is still an issue of an "ill" brain not functioning,reasoning like a "normal" one.
It is unfortunate that you fail to recognize that set of facts.

I am curious though, do you think ALL mentally ill people with history of violent outbursts,self harm etc. should be executed?

Self harm is not an issue, it generally doesn't impact anyone else. I can understand violence to a point, if a person is not mentally healthy there are sometimes even chemical and biological processes going on in the brain that causes a person to behave in ways he/she would not normally, and such things have to be taken into consideration when deciding upon a verdict.

I do however draw the line at killing people. The whole "do not kill other people" is such a basic and easy thing to follow that I just can't comprehend any kind of emotional state that could in any way justify breaking that. Only possible exception would be some kind of experimental mind control/altering drug that would physically overwrite what is considered right and wrong.

[Magical Mudcrab]

Pretty sure we should have a buzzword for when guys irrelevantly bring up the unfair treatment they get compared to women.

Life isn't fair. Deal with it. #thingsconservativessay

If we're going to write-off unfair treatment of men, should we then also write of FGM in places like Egypt because "Life isn't fair."?
Honestly, the argument that "life isn't fair, so you should just live with the consequences" is extremely stupid, more than a tad condescending, and not to mention hypocritical when it comes from individuals and sources that espouse ideals for the betterment of female quality of life and human rights.

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Yeah, you turned out perfectly fine

The sarcasm is strong with this one.

[AeneasBK]

Weak fuck. I was a foster child was abused by my parents and dealt with numerous other shit. I'm not depressed. Deal with life as it comes or you're a weak fuck that deserves to die. Glad she's in jail get those kids some help before they end up like her trash mother.

Hahahahah. See signature.