Justice And Equality
Well this is probably going to be a hot topic, and most people are probably going to be upset with me when I state my opinion but I'm going to go ahead anyways.
First I want you to imagine a scenario. Imagine a man takes a new born child, perhaps no more than a few days old. He walks into a store washroom, and leaves the child in a toilet, then walks out. The child almost drowns if not for a store employee that came in on time. How do you view such a man. He is a monster, a devil, a criminal. Isn't that your impression? Wouldn't you want this horrible person punished to the full extent of the law?
Now imagine it is a woman. do you view her in the same light as the man. Well I do, but it seams as if I am in the minority. This exact same scenario happened earlier this week in Canada. All the news reports keep telling us that we should not be too harsh with her. That she was depressed, that she was a young mother, and not experienced, one even went to say that she was a victim. Now maybe i am being overly harsh but that is crap. We all know that taking a life is wrong, especially the life of a Innocent and defenceless infant. Now I realize of course that some may bring out the argument of post-partum depression, but I still do not feel that that is a excuse. There are many ways to deal with a child that a parent may not want, there are child services, foster homes, etc, etc. It is unnatural for anyone to want to harm a child, and I for one think that anyone who does whether man or woman should be severely punished. That is equality, that is justice.
First I want you to imagine a scenario. Imagine a man takes a new born child, perhaps no more than a few days old. He walks into a store washroom, and leaves the child in a toilet, then walks out. The child almost drowns if not for a store employee that came in on time. How do you view such a man. He is a monster, a devil, a criminal. Isn't that your impression? Wouldn't you want this horrible person punished to the full extent of the law?
Now imagine it is a woman. do you view her in the same light as the man. Well I do, but it seams as if I am in the minority. This exact same scenario happened earlier this week in Canada. All the news reports keep telling us that we should not be too harsh with her. That she was depressed, that she was a young mother, and not experienced, one even went to say that she was a victim. Now maybe i am being overly harsh but that is crap. We all know that taking a life is wrong, especially the life of a Innocent and defenceless infant. Now I realize of course that some may bring out the argument of post-partum depression, but I still do not feel that that is a excuse. There are many ways to deal with a child that a parent may not want, there are child services, foster homes, etc, etc. It is unnatural for anyone to want to harm a child, and I for one think that anyone who does whether man or woman should be severely punished. That is equality, that is justice.
posted by The Cube at 7:02 PM
4 Comments:
This is such a sad, sad story... a similar incident happened near where I live this week, where a young mother (age 23)hung her four children (ages 5, 3, 2 and eight months) and herself. The eight month old survived. It's so hard to think about and discuss because of the tragic outcome....
I don't know the details surrounding either of these incidents, but I know that postpartum depression and psychosis is real and very dangerous. It needs to be taken seriously, and a woman suffering from it needs help. Period. And so many times women have NO help whatsoever. I also think that poverty and isolation are also contributors to depression and likewise to these kinds of horrible outcomes. I agree that there are other avenues for these women to consider, but then again, that is the whole point-- they are not in a functioning state of mind. I believe that Andrea Yeats thought she was protecting her children when she drowned them.
Still, children are left dead, but in these cases, I just don't think you can compare women to men here. I am not saying that they should not be held responsible, but there is often a clear difference in cause and effect and intent.
don't get me wrong, I do understand depression, beleve me i do. I know what it can do. What bothers me though is that in instances as horrible as these people do not take responsibility for their actions. I know what i am like when i am on my low, but still my actions are my own and I expect to be held accountable for them.
Ooh! You did open up a can of worms!
I just read an article on this sort of thing. http://www.mothering.com/guest_editors/quiet_place/quiet_place.html
I don't believe people should take responsibility for being mentally ill. It is not their fault.
Post partum pychosis is a rare but dangerous condition only affecting women. And if someone is truly psychotic I don't believe it is their fault, nor should they take responsibility for their actions. They need professional help. If they have no one around them, no community or family, how can they get help before something horrible happens?? I think society should take responsibility for putting women in such positions.
Psychosis is quite different than depression. When you are depressed you still know what is going on around you & things mostly make sense. When you are psycotic you are delusional & you are mentally not living in reality. How could you get help for yourself in that sort of state?
I suggest you take a minute to look up post partum conditions. It might help you understand it a little more.
Alis
Laurie makes a valid point regarding PPD, but I don't agree with her other points. Poverty, isolation, and difficulty dealing with the responsibility of parenting happen equally to both moms and dads; women should not be given special consideration as regards these issues, I would argue.
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