The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    Back home in Indiana

    By Flavius on Fri, 04/15/2011 - 11:55pm |

     From The Guardian

    A woman accused of murdering her four-day-old baby girl by trying to kill herself with rat poison while pregnant has become a cause célèbre .............

    Bei Bei Shuai, 34, a restaurant owner who moved to the US from China 10 years ago, was pregnant and planning to marry her boyfriend until she learned late last year that he was already married and he would be abandoning her.

    A few days later,............ she ......... bought rat poison.......... went back to her flat in Indianapolis and swallowed some........ she did not die immediately and was persuaded ............ to go to hospital.

    She was given treatment to counteract the poison and gave birth on New Year's Eve, but her daughter, Angel, suffered seizures and died after four days.

    Shuai then had a second breakdown and spent a month in a psychiatric ward, after which she ..................... began rebuilding her life.

    But in March she was arrested and charged with murder and......... now faces life imprisonment

     

    .......

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/15/woman-attempted-suicide-pregnant-accused

    Comments

    The headline caught my interest because I'm in Indiana.  Then I wondered: " cause célèbre" for who and why?"

    "This case has huge implications for pregnant women, not only in Indiana but across the country," said Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union.

    "If we allowed the state to put a woman in jail for anything that could pose a risk to her pregnancy, there would be nothing to stop the police putting in jail a woman who has a drink of wine or who smokes. So where do you draw the line?"

    Kolbi-Molinas said there had been an alarming rise in the number of such cases across the US. Some women's groups put the rise down to pressure on prosecutors from anti-abortion groups.

    ....

    Kathrine Jack, a lawyer with the NAPW...."If it was allowed to stand, it would not outlaw abortion right away but it would be a significant step along the way."

    This is not just an Indiana issue.  As the article ends:

    Utah, Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa and South Carolina are among states to have pressed ahead with cases involving pregnant women and their foetuses, most of which have related to women taking illegal drugs during pregnancy.

    It does make for an interesting Law & Order episode.  One in which the point of view of holding a person (man or woman) responsible for their behavior that leads to the harm of another person.  But given that this other person is a fetus complicates the matter (aside from proving a direct cause and effect between the behavior and the harm), even more so when some of those involved have another political agenda.


    by Elusive Trope on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 10:23am

    What if you take abortion out of the picture.

    What if mom overdoses on pills but does not die.

    While she is out of it, her six year old son takes the rest of the pills and OD's?

    Should we prosecute her for manslaughter; reckless indifference?

    Now put abortion back in the picture. Mom gains 80 lbs during pregnancy by overeating and not exercising!

    The baby is born with severe problems related to Mom's gluttony.

    This legislation opens up a can of worms.

    What is the number of deaths caused by guns? I keep hearing this 30,000 number.

    Shootings and drug busts and assaults and rapes....DA's have a lot on their plates.

    It costs money to prosecute felons.

     


    by Richard Day on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 10:53am

    And while we're at it, what about the parents that feed their kids a diet that leads to obesity, which we know will likely shorten their lifespan.  Should we prosecute parents for slowly killing their children, or for causing suffering from like diabetes.


    by Elusive Trope on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 11:47am

    Both thoughtful contributions.

     

     


    by Flavius on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 11:02am

    Instead of a thoughtful contribution, how about a gut reaction?

    If Bei Bei Shuai is found guilty and sent to prison, they should send that philandering dirt bag that knocked her up then went back to his wife to prison, too.  Seems to me his coarse and cowardly behavior is the catalyst for all actions in this case.  At the very least, he needs to meet up with Lorena Bobbitt in a dark alley.  Too bad being a natural born asshole isn't against the law.

    Okay.  Got that out of my system.

    You know....I've always hated the phrase "slippery slope", but it fits here.  I'd like to know more about why the prosecution believes they can win this one.


    by wabby on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 2:20pm

    I'm not in a hurry to comment myself. OK, I'm sure she shouldn't be tried for murder. Certainl she had diminished responsibility. Maybe to the point she had zero responsibility but I wouldn't say that without more information.

     

    All horrible. 


    by Flavius on Sun, 04/17/2011 - 12:04am