Just because you're a woman...doesn't make you a Mother!

Last night before bed I was flipping through the channels and heard a story that was “breaking news” with Nancy Grace.

In Orlando, a mother put her 11 month old baby inside of an oven that was set to 450 degrees because she got into a fight with her boyfriend – the baby’s father. Fortunately for the child – the oven wasn’t quite hot enough to burn/cook the child. But clearly – the intent was there.

What?!?!?

I have huge issues with women who do these things to their children. Look, if you don’t want to keep your children because your boyfriend doesn’t love you anymore – or you just don’t want to be a mother anymore, then fine. Drop your kids off on a busy street corner somewhere, in another town – another state, whatever you so choose. They’ll be better off than living with someone who’s contemptuous of their existence. Give them a friend. Drop them off at a church, temple, mosque....what have you. Maybe leave them at a stranger’s house with a note. But don’t kill them! What is wrong with you women?!?!

We all seem to think that as women we have an innate ability to mothering; maybe for most of us that is true. Some people are broken. I just don’t know any other way to put it. There is something that just doesn’t click inside of them when it comes to the concept of nurturing or being kind to creatures weaker than they are – children and animals alike.

I don’t buy into the “Susan Smith” scenario. She was not insane at the time of her murders. She’s a cold blooded, selfish and self centered woman who chose a man over the lives of her children. It sickens me to know that she was not executed – because I believe in her instance, it was warranted. She feels no guilt, no remorse. Prison is not a sentence for her; it’s just a refinement of her lifestyle.

Just as I have no compassion for Karen Robideaux – the mother of a baby that she starved to death because her cult leader husband told her to. I do not subscribe to the theory that she was “brainwashed”. She tried to feed him “behind her husband’s back”. To me, that shows a clear understanding of her actions. She did serve time in jail awaiting trial. While her husband is in prison on a sentence for the child’s death, Ms. Robideaux was judged by a jury of my “peers”, and gave her a $25 fine – a misdemeanor charge – and set free. These were not my peers, I assure you. While I wouldn’t have let her free....I also don’t know that I feel she should have the right to create children. And while that is not something that is under jurisdiction of law – I do agree with the concept of sterilization for sexual predators, and potentially women who murder their children. (Of course, there has to be extenuating circumstances – not a blanket policy for that situation. But I feel each case with regards to the death penalty in general should always be on a case by case basis – and not carte blanche based solely on the charge.)

And yet, I feel compassion for Andrea Yates. The woman who killed all 5 of her children due to her Post Partum Psychosis. Should she have had children once she was diagnosed? Probably not. But this is a true disorder that she was being treated and medicated for. When on the medication, she was fine. Off the medication...well, we know how the story goes. She had a long standing, well documented history of being medicated for depression and psychosis related illnesses. This was a woman who is clearly insane, and who did not make up lies or stories as to what happened to her children to point the finger onto someone else. This is a woman, who never should’ve had more children given her circumstances – yet when treated and felt “normal”, wanted to have a family like most people do. Her case, to me – is a tragedy on all levels.

There are few things in this world more precious than the life of a child. We all start out as children, innocent and wanting nothing more than to be loved. I can’t think of many things in this world that disgust me more, than the tragic injustices and malicious intent that is laid upon children.

Especially when it’s done by the hands of those who were to shelter them and love them.