INSANITY PLEA: Andrea Yates

In June of 2001, the world was stunned when news broke that a Texas mother had drowned her five children. Photos of Andrea Yates, her children, and what many considered to be a “picture-perfect family” were plastered across the media, with everyone wondering how something so horrific could happen.

In this episode, we look at the events leading up to that day, the red flags that were ignored or minimized, and how Andrea and Rusty’s extreme religious beliefs likely exacerbated her postpartum psychosis. We examine her two trials and the misconceptions surrounding the insanity plea. We discuss how Andrea herself was failed by multiple systems and how the lack of meaningful support for new mothers continues to harm families. We also explore how countries like Sweden and Finland invest in maternal mental health, postpartum care, and family support — and ask why we still don’t offer the same in the United States.

SOURCES: 

• Gillespie, S. (2023, February 8). 'She Killed the Kids!': Lindsay Clancy paralyzed in hospital after allegedly strangling 3 kids. YouTube. Retrieved February 13, 2023, from https://youtu.be/rOJuQ_qg3jY 
• McLellan, F. (2006, December 2). Mental health and justice: The case of Andrea Yates. The Lancet. Retrieved February 13, 2023, from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(06)69789-4/fulltext
• Resnick, P. (2007). The Andrea Yates Case: Insanity on Trial - Cleveland State University. Cleveland State University. Retrieved February 13, 2023, from https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?httpsredir=1&article=1174&context=clevstlrev 
• Where is Andrea Yates now? A peek inside her life in a State Mental Hospital. ABC13 Houston. (2018, June 20). Retrieved February 13, 2023, from https://abc13.com/where-is-andrea-yates-who-what-did-do-drowned-family-in-clear-lake/1980992/ 
• Deborah W. Denno, Who is Andrea Yates? A Short Story About Insanity, 10 Duke J. Gender L. & Pol'y 1 (2003)
• https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=126229&page=1
• https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=126222&page=1 
• https://publications.lawschool.cornell.edu/jlpp/2022/10/19/the-insanity-plea-problem/
• https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/patrick-lindsay-clancy-duxbury-mother-murder-the-new-yorker/
• https://amsterdam-mamas.nl/articles/what-is-a-kraamverzorgster-and-where-can-i-find-one/
• https://sweden.se/work-business/working-in-sweden/work-life-balance