Rusty Yates Remarriage: Dr. Dorree Lynn's View

I have spoken on the Andrea Yates case and other incidences of matricide on MSNBC and numerous other media outlets from 2001 through 2005. Since then, I have also spoken and written about difficult to fathom situations such as Peggy Jo Conner’s attempt to cut Valerie Oskin’s unborn baby from her stomach. These situations are never black and white. Since the courts did not hold Rusty Yates responsible in the murder of his children, he is free to move on with his life. However, in my view, he was culpable in the death of his children as he did not follow doctor’s instructions. They included the responsibility that Andrea Yates continue with her medication and that she was not to have more children. Thus, both parents were responsible in his children’s’ deaths. However, since Rusty Yates is both divorced and without legal charge, whether any of us approve or not, he may choose to live his life as he wishes. One hopes and wishes that he has learned from his prior will full actions. Therefore, I can also argue that he has a right to happiness. Five children and one adult (Andrea Yates remains incarcerated) lost their lives. If any of the responsibility was his, then he too should have been charged. If the responsibility isn’t his, then the loss of still anther life makes no sense. Though I disagree with the original premise that Andrea Yates was solely guilty, since we live in a country based on a legal justice system, I may once again have to learn to accept the difference between legal perceptions and personal responsibility. Marriages are far more complex than the law can ever comprehend.