Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Lessons That Distinguish Preeclampsia From Murder?

Preeclampsia, otherwise known as pregnancy-induced hypertension, can kill mothers. It occurs in approximately 8 percent of all pregnancies during the second and third trimesters. The only cure is delivery of the baby."Preeclampsia is one of the most serious pregnancy complications... It can lead to maternal death if we don't catch it early enough," said Dr. Lillian Schapiro, an Atlanta obstetrician-gynecologist. In sum, babies can kill mothers due to hypertension.

Leatrice Brewer reminds us that mothers can kill babies. A girl, 6, and two boys, ages 5 and 1, were found dead in a bed wearing their night clothes after their mother (Leatrice Brewer) called police early Sunday. According to Lt. Michael Fleming, she apparently admitted to killing the children. Leatrice Brewer, 27, apparently called 911, and said, "she killed her babies." Fleming said.

When officers arrived, she jumped out a second-floor window of the building.

Two men who may be the children's fathers said they had fought to have the children removed from Brewer's custody. Ricky Ward, the father of the girl, Jewell, said, "The courts wouldn't hear me out. I blame this on Leatrice Brewer and Family Court." Innocent Demesyeux, apparently the father of the two boys, had been battling Brewer for custody for more than a year.

In the past, another case was that of Andrea Yates. Yates allegedly drowned her five children in the family's Houston bathtub in 2001. LaShaun Harris was accused of tossing her three young sons into San Francisco Bay in 2005. Both stood trial on murder charges but were declared legally insane. In sum, mothers can kill babies.

Legal Pubs solution to reduce domestic violence: LINK Can any one hear me now?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting analogy sprung from tragedy. You are right, the more I look at it. The system that deprives fathers of raising their children is broke and needs to be fixed.

Shell

Ms Calabaza said...

Shell beat me to it again. . . Something really needs to be done with this system. If only they would read LP's solutions. . . follow his LINK.

Anonymous said...

Its a good idea, but who will actually take the time to do something about it? There are too many pissed off noncustodial and custodial parents!


Janet

colleency said...

LP's solutions would help fix a system that is often unfair and unresponsive.

There is still a problem with parents who just don't care, and avoid responsibility. (personal experience: the mother of a family member who simply quit jobs whenever the State caught up to her and began to enforce child-support. She skated for 3 years without a single payment.)

Sometimes - when a parent is inherently irresponsible, and emotionally unable to provide care - shared custody is a nightmare waiting to happen.

PS - Andrea Yates was married when she drowned her children.

Anonymous said...

True Andrea Yates was still married at the time of the death of their children, but apparently divorce was a possible consideration. She was supposedly depressed, possible chronic post partum.

Anonymous said...

Clever observation on two real tragic problems.

Barb

Concerned said...

Exactly. When are courts going to start granting joint physical custody to both parents so that just one parent isn't making all of the decisions?