OneLostGrl---
Thank you for your insightful post. I completely understand what you are saying and I would be mad too, because the way mental illness is perceived is tainted so much when these losers committ their crimes and blame mental illness.
I have read your posts before and I must say that you write like somebody who is very mentally HEALTHY. You obviously have taken control and responsibility of/for your illness, or it sure seems that way to me, and I think you are to be commended for it. I have read posts of yours that are insightful and thought-provoking to me, and I appreciate your viewpoint and take on things. I must say that if everyone who had mental illness were as you seem to be, the world would be a better place. OK--just wanted to say that.:blowkiss:
Now on to this particular topic, personally, I am one who believes in the age-old good and evil theories. Obviously, someone who drowns/kills/maims/whatever their children is NOT mentally healthy, however, I also believe that they have a good dose of old-fashioned EVIL in them. And I know that this is not a popular viewpoint, but EVIL lurks all around us, often under the guise of good. I'm not talking religiously either, because although I am a spiritual person, I am not necessarily religious at all. Fact is, there are good people and bad people in this world of ours. By sheer numbers alone, some of these bad people are parents. I'm sorry, but mental illness alone does not make a mommy chop off her 10 month old baby girls arm. Mental illness alone does not make a mommy systematically torture her 5 innocent babies by drowning them. These women are evil who don't deserve to walk the streets.
As far as them being deluged for the rest of their lives with the thoughts of the horrible reality of what they did, I don't see them as living in a private Hell because of their actions. To me, if you can perform an act so vicious, then simply having the THOUGHT of doing it isn't going to hurt them to the depths of their souls for the rest of their lives. Yes, I do believe in regret....but I'm sorry, there is a certain line you cross when you violently kill innocent babies, and the fact that you can do it with no qualms, leads me to believe that THINKING about it leaves you with no qualms either.
I know my view on this not a popular one, it's my opinion only people, so don't flame or bash me. To me, once you cross that line, there is no going back. Period.