Russell Yates Didn't Do Enough, Killer Mom's Family Says

FOX ^ | 3/18/02

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Russell Yates was an "unemotional" husband who didn't do enough to address his wife's mental illness in the days before she drowned their five children, the mass-murderer mom's mother and brother said Monday.

As Andrea Yates was formally sentenced to life in prison for murdering three of the children, her family said Russell Yates deserves some of the blame for their deaths.

[FITZ]

The right to kill babies

Andrea is the result of a culture that believes a woman has the right to kill children that become inconvenient. Hers weren't inconvenient pre-birth but became a nuisance to her later.

[NYCVirago]

Where are the women's groups? Silent as usual. Here is a man who fits the 'male chavinist pig' stereotype to a T. Sounds like he came home and sat on the sofa watching TV oblivious to the kids, his wife and the events going on around him.

NOW has spoken out on this, but only against society, the criminal justice system, and the health care system, not Mr. Yates. You would think they would use Rusty Yates as their poster boy for bad male behavior, but strangely enough, they have yet to criticize his actions.

[MaggieMay]

The one area no one but Rusty and Andrea could help themselves,is in the use of birth control. I realize only abstenence is a gurarantee of prevention of pregnacy. But, when the doctor told,BOTH,of them the likelihood of a return of the psychosis with anymore pregancies. Then it is PREPOSTEROUS for Randy to say the doctors were responible for doing nothing to warm them of the gravity of Andrea's condition. If Rusty and Andrea did not want to use birth control for religious resons then there was the option of tubeligation or visectomy. How could Rusty expect the same old drugs they gave her after the third pregancy to work indefefinitely (pregancy after pregancy). He is just plain arrogant and culpable in this tragedy.

[RckyRaCoCo]

His life was a HELL of a lot easier than hers.

Do you know them personally?

[FITZ]

I read her family even had Andrea taking care of the father when he was dying ---an insane woman with 4 young kids having to care for her senile father.

If it was my sister who was filthy and hallucinating, I wouldn't allow a spouse ---controlling or otherwise to keep her in that condition ---and I'd certainly do something for my nieces and nephrews if she was threatening to kill them --spouse or no spouse.

[GussiedUp]

He is the most controlled (and I suspect the most controlling) person I have ever seen. I would have gone bonkers too if I had to live with him, although killing the children would not have been an option.

Well, since he is already musing about divorcing Andrea and finding another woman to pump out some more babies (isn't he just the epitomy of narcissism?) maybe the next one will go bonkers and kill him.

[FITZ]

in the picture than Andrea Yates' family

Psychopaths and psychotics often have had terrible abuse and neglect as infants and in early childhood. The fact that Andrea was unable to bond with or love her children would have more to do with her own childhood than problems she never encountered until marriage. A normal woman doesn't suddenly crack because she married the wrong kind of guy---she gets to a lawyer, Andrea's problems were created long before she married, I'll bet there was some serious abuse in her family.

[NYCVirago]

Question -- who do you think is more responsible for not doing enough to help Andrea Yates -- her husband or her family?

[NYCVirago]

Psychopaths and psychotics often have had terrible abuse and neglect as infants and in early childhood. The fact that Andrea was unable to bond with or love her children would have more to do with her own childhood than problems she never encountered until marriage. A normal woman doesn't suddenly crack because she married the wrong kind of guy---she gets to a lawyer, Andrea's problems were created long before she married, I'll bet there was some serious abuse in her family.

Why are you blaming her family for her state more than you do her husband? "Normal" men don't get off on turning their wives into brood mares and having them live in a bus.

[GussiedUp]

If I saw my sister attempting suicide, stinking to high heaven with her hair filthy and matted, I'd certainly do more than suggest her husband do something about her. I'd intervene myself

Well said. I would intervene myself - be it a relative or friend.

[janette]

Absolutely, I followed the entire case, also the Larry King Thing tonight. That moment, you mentioned, happened not only once. He is a very "logical" thinking, formal acting, non emotional kind of man. Often seen in scientist! But on the other hand, he was not able to realize with logic, that his wife was a ticking time-bomp. He is as guilty as her. I think, she wanted to punish him, no matter what will happening to her. A n o t h e r S u i z i d e!!!! No death-penalty, now she has to watch him going down-atleast I hope so!

[FITZ]

Again ---if it was my family member (daughter or sister), it would NOT matter if the husband was doing enough or not ---I wouldn't leave it up to him. Would you really sit by and let your daughter end up this way and then wring your hands after a tragedy that her husband didn't do enough?

[FITZ]

Why are you blaming her family for her state more than you do her husband?

If Rusty is a control freak and Andrea was attracted enough to that to marry him, then something was already quite wrong with her. That family did not raise a perfectly sane, self confident woman who just suddenly lost it because of getting married. There's something strange about the way she suddenly went psychotic apparently after the father died ---I wonder what their family secrets could be. Adult women do grieve the loss of a parent but they don't fall that completely apart.

[janette]

you are so right, by the way, our now 18 years old daughter(the youngest child of three) never got changed by her Dad, because I was a stay at home mom and he had to go out for work(in Germany). It was so normal for me, to do the household and three children, to do my duty at home, while he did his, by earning the meals on our table!! I'm now living in the USA and have a beautiful life, because I "kept his back free". We both did our duties in times when needed. Now we enjoy the results. I absolutely think, Russel Yates missused his wife!! But not changing the diapers, can't be that bad. Of cource I was healthy, she was very, very sick. Wy more children, Rusty???!!!

[NYCVirago]

If Rusty is a control freak and Andrea was attracted enough to that to marry him, then something was already quite wrong with her. That family did not raise a perfectly sane, self confident woman who just suddenly lost it because of getting married. There's something strange about the way she suddenly went psychotic apparently after the father died ---I wonder what their family secrets could be. Adult women do grieve the loss of a parent but they don't fall that completely apart.

So you do blame her family for her mental state more than you do Rusty. And you're making an awful lot of scurrilous accusations about "family secrets" and abuse on their part. How about holding Saint Rusty accountable for the facts we know about the way he treated his wife, instead of insinuating about her family really being at fault.

[RckyRaCoCo]

Controlling is a word used since the 60's by most feminist groups to describe "any" male who's wife "wastes her life away" staying at home and taking care of a family. If Rusty deserves some responsibility for this tragedy, so does N.O.W. Guess which one sleeping easy tonight...

[janette]

exactly!!!!!

[janette]

please read closely all replies, FR is a community, spread all over the land with 60.000 members!! So You will have a very good average of meanings!!!!! First read, and then think and repley!

[hope]

"Well sheesh, no wonder she drowned all her children. It was clearly his fault."

Can you imagine having four children as a father and never once changing a diaper...He doesn't sound any more emotionally attached to those children than the monster who murdered them.

[FITZ]

He may have been controlling --I don't know, but what I'm seeing now is all her family and friends claiming they all knew she was in deep trouble and all admitting they did nothing about it---and they even all admit they left it up to him. If I thought my daugher (or son) or sister was being abused in a marriage to the point they were going insane, you can bet I would not just let it go on.