Postpartum excuse for murder?

On Monday an attorney for Andrea Yates, the Houston mother of five accused of systematically drowning all of her children in a bathtub, said his client is likely to plead innocent by reason of insanity. Well, temporary insanity, really, considering the presumed defense.

Attorney George Parnham, also of Houston, says the 36-year-old Yates – who has admitted to police she drowned her kids (Noah, 7; John, 5; Paul, 3; Luke, 2; and Mary, 6 months) – has talked with psychiatrists during her incarceration.

Those mental health professionals have said they have “accumulated evidence in the last 24 hours (as of Monday) that strongly suggests that the mental status of my client will be the issue, which means entering a not guilty plea by reason of insanity,” Parnham said.

Parnham would not say what evidence indicated she was insane when she killed the children at her Clear Lake home, and he also declined to say anything about the current mental state of Yates, Fox News said.

But according to early news reports, the defense is likely to tell a court that Andrea Yates should be found innocent because she was suffering from – now get this – postpartum depression.

However, after having five kids, I don’t buy this argument – and neither should you.

Mr. Yates and attorney Parnham are already trying to win Andrea’s acquittal in the court of public opinion. Postpartum depression is a bitch, you see, and will be portrayed as “affecting millions of mothers every year.”

Technically, that’s true. For new mothers to experience some degree of depression following the birth of a child is a legitimate phenomenon and medical science can prove that. Also, it is true that some women suffer more than others.

But they don’t snap and drown their kids, either. And if this kind of postpartum depression was really serious for Andrea, why did she and her husband continue to have children?

To suggest that Andrea Yates has a screw loose is probably accurate; anyone who kills their children obviously does.

But should a supposed temporary mental condition justify these deaths? Absolutely not.

Someone has got to be an advocate of justice for the dead children. As a society, we have got to get out of the habit of allowing people to commit the most heinous of crimes for the most flimsy of excuses.

This case, therefore, could and should be a turning point.

Andrea Yates has admitted her guilt. If a jury believes her, she should be subjected to the full effect of Texas law.

But she shouldn’t get away with murdering her children. I can’t believe there are people in this country who already believe she should.