Bonnie Liltz/Casey Anthony

[Magrat]

Casey Anthony is back in the news. People (rightly, IMHO) villify her for killing her young daughter.

Bonnie Liltz hasn't been in the news very much, so you might not be familiar with this story. In short, she murdered her disabled adopted adult daughter.

There are similarities in these cases (parent murders child) but the biggest difference is that just about everybody hates Anthony, but people are lining up behind Liltz.

What it boils down to is people in general do not value disabled lives. Right now the disgusting Me before You is in theaters, showing a quadrepeligic who commits suicide to escape being paralyzed. This is how people think about the disabled, this is what people see.

Two mothers who murdered their daughters. One is villified, one is pitied, because who wants a cripple anyway?

 

[DragonLady]

The terminally ill Illinois mother who gave her daughter a lethal dose of drugs because she feared what would happen to the severely disabled 28-year-old if she died was sentenced to four years in prison on Wednesday, PEOPLE confirms

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I think the highlighted part makes a difference to how people perceive her act. I have often wondered how I would handle having a disabled child -and often wondered what would happen to said child if something happened to me. Mind you, I strongly disagree with Liltz's decision -and so did the judge.

Anthony, OTOH, was perfectly healthy herself, and she killed a perfectly healthy two-year-old. She could've given her up for adoption or simply walked out and left her in the care of the grandparents, but instead chose to end her daughter's life so she could be 'free'.

Different circumstances and different motives leave people with different degrees of sympathy. I don't believe it has anything to do with any ideas that disabled people don't have a right to life.

 

[Samson]

Are you all so sure Casey's child did not die in an overheated car while she was consorting with her lover?

 

[Aepervius]

Are you all so sure Casey's child did not die in an overheated car while she was consorting with her lover?

That would not explain the duct tape found near the front of the skull and over the mouth. See autopsy report.

 

[Samson]

That would not explain the duct tape found near the front of the skull and over the mouth. See autopsy report.

Can overheating be eliminated is my question, because that is step one. For example, the duct tape could be a provisional cover up so abduction and murder could be suggested by Casey and or her father. Similarly for accidental drowning. The issues I see in the case are a bloodthirsty prosecutor diverting attention from fact finding. Where does the death penalty come into all this? It exposes America to ridicule. You are not going to deter anything or educate that way.

 

[Magrat]

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I think the highlighted part makes a difference to how people perceive her act. I have often wondered how I would handle having a disabled child -and often wondered what would happen to said child if something happened to me. Mind you, I strongly disagree with Liltz's decision -and so did the judge.

Anthony, OTOH, was perfectly healthy herself, and she killed a perfectly healthy two-year-old. She could've given her up for adoption or simply walked out and left her in the care of the grandparents, but instead chose to end her daughter's life so she could be 'free'.

Different circumstances and different motives leave people with different degrees of sympathy. I don't believe it has anything to do with any ideas that disabled people don't have a right to life.

I recommend you read the comments people have left on the article I linked to, people are saying it is okay she killed her daughter because her daughter was a "retard" and who would want to live that way? It is entirely because she was disabled.

Here is more information.

 

[DragonLady]

Can overheating be eliminated is my question, because that is step one.

IIRC, nothing could be eliminated, as only the little girl's skeleton was found. But the tape was still stuck somehow to her skull.

I recommend you read the comments people have left on the article I linked to,

I did read some of them, and it seemed to me that while many had some sympathy for her, most thought she should see a longer prison sentence. I'm not going to go take a score, but I didn't see very many comments claiming the disabled somehow deserved to die.

That said, I don't see a lot of people proposing other solutions for Liltz' dilemma, either. She had once left her in a nursing home for a short time only to return to find her sitting in filth, with wet clothing. I can understand her being afraid of dying and leaving her daughter to people with such low regard for her.

So while we're here, what do you think Liltz should have done? What other solution was within her reach, that would've ensured a higher quality, lifelong care for Courtney?

 

[Magrat]

IIRC, nothing could be eliminated, as only the little girl's skeleton was found. But the tape was still stuck somehow to her skull.



I did read some of them, and it seemed to me that while many had some sympathy for her, most thought she should see a longer prison sentence. I'm not going to go take a score, but I didn't see very many comments claiming the disabled somehow deserved to die.

That said, I don't see a lot of people proposing other solutions for Liltz' dilemma, either. She had once left her in a nursing home for a short time only to return to find her sitting in filth, with wet clothing. I can understand her being afraid of dying and leaving her daughter to people with such low regard for her.

So while we're here, what do you think Liltz should have done? What other solution was within her reach, that would've ensured a higher quality, lifelong care for Courtney?

I am certain there was more than one single nursing home available to her. She could have enlisted the social services department to find appropriate housing for Courtney. Most places have a business like Aim or Arc that provide such care.

She could have contacted the closest government office of the disability support services to find help for Courtney.

There need to be more services and more help for all disabled people, not just for those needing care. That said, murder is never the right answer. Courtney wasn't a dog that needed rehomed, she was a person with her own rights, feelings, and thoughts. Can you imagine how terrified she must have been as she lay dying and her mother didn't help her?

Eta if you read the blog post in my second link, you will see this has happened more than once. Disabled people have been murdered by their parents and nobody cares.