Andrea Yates Wants To Be Allowed To Go To Church

[Captain Jack Harkness]

Hey, remember that psycho bitch that killed her children to "save them from hell?"

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/28/andrea-yates-asks-to-attend-church-again-2/

[Askold]

Well, you know redemption and forgiveness and all that.


Also, she was/is insane so although she should be under watch I do kinda understand why they are planning to let her go to the church.

(And really this was a horrible tragedy, but she is a lunatic not an monster.)

[SpaceProg]

I agree with Askold.  Let her go to church.

 Very mentally sick, yes.  Not a monster.

[Sleepy]

Psycho bitch? She was mentally ill. I don't condone any sort of action like that, but there's a difference between what she did and a dickhead parent murdering his/her children out of anger or something.

[Captain Jack Harkness]

Maybe she would've killed her kids regardless, but I don't think I need to remind anyone that religion was a factor/catalyst behind her actions in the first place.  I have a bit of a hard time being okay with someone like that just go back to something that fueled her initial behavior.

[Yla]

On one hand, it's someone wanting access to and exercise religious services.
On the other hand, it's like a addict falling back off the wagon.

But even if, she's not going to harm anyone in prison (I just know this statement is going to bite me in the butt), so constitutional rights and all that.

[The Right Honourable Mlle Antéchrist]

Wasn't Andrea Yates suffering from postpartum psychosis when she killed her children? Going back to church probably isn't the best thing for her, but it doesn't seem that religion was the sole cause of her actions.

[SpaceProg]

Wasn't Andrea Yates suffering from postpartum psychosis when she killed her children? Going back to church probably isn't the best thing for her, but it doesn't seem that religion was the sole cause of her actions.

Yes she was.  In my opinion her husband making her stay home all the time and do nothing but take care of one kid after another after another with no letup was the straw that broke the camel's back.  She never was able to receive treatment for anything that would have been wrong with her mind.

[nickiknack]

Wasn't Andrea Yates suffering from postpartum psychosis when she killed her children? Going back to church probably isn't the best thing for her, but it doesn't seem that religion was the sole cause of her actions.

Yes she was.  In my opinion her husband making her stay home all the time and do nothing but take care of one kid after another after another with no letup was the straw that broke the camel's back.  She never was able to receive treatment for anything that would have been wrong with her mind.

THIS
I personally feel pity for her. Yeah, what she did was horrible, but she never got the proper treatment. It's a really sad sitution

[Stormwarden]

It was a situation that should have never been allowed to happen in the first place. But I don't know if bringing her back to church would help or harm.

[Witchyjoshy]

...My gut tells me she should be allowed to attend church because it's the right thing to do.  My mind says that she should be allowed to attend church because it's her right.  And even if she wasn't religious, well... that doesn't mean this would not have happened.

It goes without saying, though, that there should be strict supervision of her activities.  If nothing else, because she's a threat to herself.  And it's not too far-fetched to say that those who are threats to themselves are threats to others as well.

All else fails, bring the church to her instead of bringing her to the church.

[The Right Honourable Mlle Antéchrist]

...My gut tells me she should be allowed to attend church because it's the right thing to do.  My mind says that she should be allowed to attend church because it's her right.  And even if she wasn't religious, well... that doesn't mean this would not have happened.

This.

[Sylvana]

I am conflicted, if she used aspects of religion as a scapegoat for her psychosis. It may be unwise to allow her to return to an environment that would act as positive re-enforcement of her actions. However, I also realize the importance religion plays in may peoples lives and being able to use religion as a moderating factor during treatment for mental issues is quite common. As a result allowing her to go to a very moderate church again could be immensely beneficial to her mental well being. On the other hand the more turn or burn type churches could end up re-enforcing her original psychosis and hamper any therapy she is undergoing.

[Witchyjoshy]

I don't think scapegoat is the right term, necessarily, because that to me indicates some form of intentional deception.  She genuinely believed what she did.

I understand the misgivings, of course.  Hence why I think strict supervision is necessary.  If she has to have an escort follow her into the church restroom to make sure she doesn't kill herself, so be it.

She's tragic.  But I'm not about to whitewash what she's done, either.

[Juna Starrider]

I do remember that the church her and her husband went to emphasized "Be fruitful and multiply" that America so desperately needs...</Sarcasm>.  Also, as she was having these kids her doctors noticed she was having a worse and worse time every time she had a child, and suggested to the couple that they stop making babies.  So while religion did have an influence (Had the preacher not preached 'pop out more babies!', she may have never sunk as low as she had.) if she goes to a church that's less about making babies and more about following Jesus's teachings, it may be very good for her.