Texas Child-Murders: Father Culpable, Too


June 26th, 2001

To the Editor,

Russel Yates has said repeatedly that his wife was "depressed" after their fourth child (four children in six years will break most any woman, physically AND mentally, especially if she's getting no help at home). She even tried to kill herself. So what does he do? He knocks her up again! At best, he's a complete and incompetent moron, at worse, he's a cruel and manipulative abuser.

Maybe this case will bring to light the horrible situation so many women in this country are in, forced to breed against their will. Our culture often criticizes Moslem nations for it, but there are many men in THIS country who reduce their wives to will-less baby machines, but it's overlooked because they're "Christian". Pumping out a baby EVERY YEAR is NOT natural or healthy, for the mother OR the children.

Imagine the response if this woman had been poor and on welfare, OR if she had been a non-Christian woman. I doubt we'd be seeing NEAR as much (if any) talk of forgiveness or "mental illness", and we'd be hearing PLENTY of talk about how the environment and lifestyle caused the psychosis.

Post-partum depression is a real disease, but I don't think this is a case of it. This was psychosis brought about by complete exhaustion, neglect, and abuse (whether by herself or her husband or both). These people's lifestyle should be on trial...but since they're white, middle-class, Christians, you can bet it won't be.


Return to Letters to the Editor. Or go back to Hylo Bates' Homepage II.