Woman Reportedly Slits Throat of Infant Daughter

Pioneer Press ^ | Aug. 04, 2003 | LISA DONOVAN

[wallcrawlr]

35-year-old woman reportedly slit the throat of her 6-month-old daughter in St. Paul this morning, killing the baby, police said. Mine An Ener, who had apparently been suffering from depression, confessed to the slaying inside a home in the Desnoyer Park neighborhood on St. Paul’s western edge, police said.

About 9 a.m., Ener reportedly finished feeding the infant in a relative’s house in the 500 block of Desnoyer Avenue. She carried the baby into the bathroom and, moments later, walked out and told a relative in the house: "I think I killed the baby," said St. Paul police Sgt. Bruce Wynkoop.

The relative called 911 immediately. As medics tried to assist the baby, police took Ener into custody.

The slaying occurred at the home of a relative where Ener and her daughter, who reside in Pennsylvania, had been visiting for an undetermined amount of time, police said.

[First Amendment]

The problem with "chemical imbalance" is that it is based on the premise that consciousness is merely a chemical by-product. Kind of like radio waves or something; if there's static, it's just a technical problem. Wrong balance of chemicals. Like making a recipe with too much baking powder. But no scientist has ever been able to find the "seat" of consciousness. There have even been functioning people who had no actual brain. Undoubtedly people have different chemical balances (or imbalances) and these may be related to moods or other mental states. But perhaps the mood creates the chemicals, and not the other way around? For instance, when you feel fear, the whole body goes through all kinds of chemical changes. But the chemicals are created by the fear, not the other way around.

Another point is that the brain is really like a type of computer - and does a regular computer run itself? The actual person (soul, atma, self, whatever you word you want to use) is the operator of the brain. A person does not have to be the slave of their moods. A person still has free will and choice.

An example - I used to suffer from severe depression, I tried suicide (seriously) when I was 13, and was even hospitalized when I was 15. I suffered from it for years. Now I suffer no more from it (occasionally get in a bad mood like anyone else for a morning or something). I did not get cured by the use of chemicals. I decided to change, and the story of my cure I will leave for another thread.
The person is more than chemicals.

[non-anonymous]

The left has been pushing their victim mentality for so long that we are conditioned to react fiercely every time something *looks* like the same old BS. Society needs to be protected from her, but rooting for her death seems a bit premature.

The comment "who *cares* if she's suffering from depression" is unfortunate and saddening. If all severely depressed people were able to make sound judgements and get themselves timely help, there would be far fewer severely depressed people. Depression comes of its own accord and is indeed mind-altering, and if it is severe enough, it thwarts reason and one's ability to get help. I firmly believe it can, in certain cases, relieve culpability for one's actions... possibly even when it comes to killing.

To be clear, I'm not judging this woman one way or another, but it's not reasonable to condemn her outright. We should strive for personal accountability and shun the victim mentality, but we should also be patient and willing to discern true victimhood if and when it exists.

[First Amendment]

Note my post above - I suffered from severe depression, and I never was tempted to kill anyone. If anything, depression leads people to suicide, self-mutilation, isolation and other behaviors. Murder is not justified in any way by depression. And even if she was depressed - she had to be in some horrible mental state to kill her own baby - everyone has free will. When she realized that she was having desires to kill her own child, she could have (and should have) asked the relative for help (I think the article said grandmother) or even dialed 911.

[cherry]

a culture of death.....

beginning to think that its simply too much inbreeding...too many idiots who can not tolerate even minor stress without killing somebody....

look out....this sort of stuff seems to be rampant....

marry well.....

[hopespringseternal]

You don't, however, know everyone who has been depressed.

Yes, and depressed people everywhere are now jumping for joy that jerks like yourself are calling them murderers. Do you hang out with Gore or something? Both of you seem to have the same views of people with problems.

This woman was not a psychopath because she is depressed. She is depressed because she is a psychopath.

[hopespringseternal]

At least pretend to be intellectual honest. She said God would not created postpartum depression. Now back to reality.

And those of us not on an anti Judeo-Christian jihad can translate that just fine into our own worldview without comment, certainly without insult.

[ShandaLear]

How do you know what it was? Were you her physician?

[Centurion2000]

This wasn't baby blues, it was a pathologic chemical imbalance that could have been corrected with medicine.

It was also murder ... string her up.

[SarahW]

Lets see....six month old baby, history of recent depression, irrational violent action against her infant...

Untreated Post-partum depression can result in harm to children. It needs to be recognized and treated.

[SarahW]

That actually has nothing to do with whether we should "care" the causes of the killing. Postpartum depression should be cared about. Children die at the hands of mentally ill mothers. That's reason enough to care about it.

[SarahW]

She was depressed because parturition affected the way her neurons fire. It could have been treated.

[Ronaldus Magnus]

Mine A. Ener
Assistant Professor

***Modern Middle East History and Islamic Civilization***

[Centurion2000]

Postpartum depression should be cared about. Children die at the hands of mentally ill mothers. That's reason enough to care about it.

Post partum should be cared about BUT MURDER should be prosecuted.

Adults are responsible for their actions no matter what is bothering them. Any culture that repudiates this fact does so at its peril.

[jlogajan]

The problem with "chemical imbalance" is that it is based on the premise that consciousness is merely a chemical by-product.

The problem with divorcing consciousness from the structures and properties of the physical brain is that it ends up having to deny such physical influences.

We know, for example, that there are drugs that are hallucinogenic. Under such chemical influence, the person loses contact with reality, and behaviors can be quite severe. Take away the chemical and the person returns to their normal behaviors.

The idea that depression cannot cross this boundary is just something you assert on rather flimsy faith -- especially when there are ample cases to the contrary.

[jlogajan]

Adults are responsible for their actions no matter what is bothering them.

The "insanity defense" has ample scientific basis and is generally recognized in law.

[nmh]

Prayers for this innocent soul. Next slit her throat.

[nmh]

I think she's striving to be the unoffical evil apologist - i.e. NO mere mortal is EVER responsible for what they do. Reaching out for help is also NOT a possibility for the person since it WOULD also mean taking responsibility for their state of mind. Nah, can't have that. It's just got to be someone else or something else at fault. Notice no sympathy for the baby just the mother who slit the throat of an innocent, defenseless little baby. Sick.

[honeygrl]

I wonder why there isn't a word in the entire article about the father of the baby.

[John H K]

And those of us not on an anti Judeo-Christian jihad can translate that just fine into our own worldview without comment, certainly without insult.

Her viewpoint wasn't necessarily a Judeo-Christian viewpoint, just a stupid viewpoint.

Once you head down the primrose path of "God wouldn't...." you open yourself up to being questioned about whether God would create Hurricane Andrew, cancer in 3 year old children, violent paranoid Schizophrenia in intelligent, gentle 22 year olds, etc. etc.

And the only way out of it is to create moronic theories, as we see often on FR, that those various evils not caused by other people are God's "punishment" for various transgressions, and BINGO! you're back to Og trying to humor the Volcano God.

[twigs]

This woman is also head of the department of Middle Eastern/Arab affairs, it was reported on our local radio.