Andrea Yates verdict - huh?

[gekko]

Mental disorders are more of a grey area than physical ones. We're relying as much on guesswork as we do on facts, simply because out of all of our organs, we know the least about the human brain.

Wait a sec. Didn't I put you on my /ignore list?

Fixed.
-A

Being more of a grey area doesn't make them not real. Not understanding mental illnesses is not an excuse for ignoring them. If you want to argue that there is no excuse for her behaviour, that's fine. But then you'd better be prepared to treat examples such as having a stroke while driving in the same way. Not everyone has the mental capacity to control their urges - and I'm not talking about people who can't stop themselves from eating, either.

Want another example? Let's talk about Alzheimer's. We know it's a progressive disease that affects people in similar but not identical ways. We don't know how to cure it, but there's no argument among educated scientists that it exists.

A lack of understanding should never be used as an excuse for treating a person like an animal.

gekko