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Lindsay Clancy: Internet believes Duxbury mom who killed her children should get therapy not jail time

'The people who have a mental health defense like this, it's not like they're getting off scot-free,' Janice Bassil, a criminal defense attorney, said

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DUXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS: Since the case of Lindsay Clancy, the 32-year-old Massachusetts mother-of-three who tried to kill herself after strangling her children to death, has emerged, the internet has been debating if the mother should get therapy or jail time. A bill by State Rep James O’Day, wanting to make postpartum illness a factor in criminal sentencing, could help postpartum defendants like Clancy get therapy and not jail time.

Speaking about Clancy's case, who is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of strangulation and suffocation, and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, Rosanna Cavallaro, a professor of criminal law and evidence at Suffolk University Law School, in a recent report by BestLife, said, "Jurors are very reluctant to be put in a position where they are seeming to say that they're letting this terrible thing go unpunished, but that's of course not what's happening. What they're saying is this is not a circumstance that deserves punishment; it's a circumstance that requires treatment."

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On February 7, Clancy, a delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, was charged for murdering her five-year-old daughter Cora and three-year-old son Dawson, and trying to kill eight-month-old son Callan, who later died at a hospital.

Kevin J Reddington, Clancy's attorney, said that she was prescribed 13 different psychiatric medications between October 2022 and January, including some used to treat anxiety, depression and insomnia, per Boston.com. The attorney described her as a "zombie" following "overmedication" in the weeks leading up to the killings. He said, "One of the major issues here is the horrific overmedication of drugs that caused homicidal ideation, suicidal ideation. No overdose [by Lindsay]. They [Lindsay and her husband, Patrick] went to doctors repeatedly saying, ‘Please help us.’ This was turning her into a zombie. The medications that were prescribed were over the top, absolutely over the top," per the New York Post.

Weighing in, Janice Bassil, a criminal defense attorney, reportedly said, "The people who have a mental health defense like this, it's not like they're getting off scot-free. They're tortured by what they did."

Mothers back Lindsay Clancy on social media

While Clancy, who's next court date is scheduled for May 2, was shamed by many, there were other who came in suppot of her. A Twitter user wrote, "In light of the tragedy in Duxbury, and as someone who struggled for a year with postpartum depression, it’s concerning to see the oversimplification of mental illness in the local news. It’s often not that obvious, and signs can easily be explained away…," adding, "I spent countless nights sobbing with my infant, but pulled myself together to go to work and do my job well. I put happy pics on social media. Intense shame over how I was feeling fueled me to mask it the best I could, but inside, I wasn’t sure how I would survive…"

A facebook user wrote, "These photos are sheer proof that depression, anxiety, panic, sadness, loneliness, frustration, anger.... can overcome absolutely ANY ONE OF US.

This was the 'family next door'. Your best friend, your daughter, your wife, your sister, your coworker, your cousin...Her husband was staying home to support her thru Postpartum Depression and while he stepped out for just a moment this tragedy took place. . Postpartum is VERY real. This woman was a labor and delivery nurse. It can happen to anyone." One more wrote, "Can we PLEASE talk about Post Partum Depression and Anxiety? The Lindsay Clancy case has consumed my entire morning. Whether you believe she killed her children with a clear mind or while having an episode of post partum psychosis… this case needs to bring awareness to the issues new mothers are facing. I’m going to be extremely honest, as a woman and new mother I feel let down by the post partum care available to woman. It’s very difficult to talk about PPD, you think you’re getting better then you begin to spiral."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

A Reddit user expressed, "My heart shattered for this family. The devastation is unfathomable and their lives are forever irrevocably broken. A close friend of mine developed PPD and anxiety and it was brutal, I can’t imagine a diagnosis such as PPP. It’s terrifying. Not to politicize a tragedy, but it breaks my heart how the US medical system failed this family. This woman desperately needed help, and from what I read she had been released from an intensive therapy program." On the other hand, one wrote an open letter to Clancy and said, "Unfortunately, you are not alone in how you were feeling and what you experienced. However, it went too far. You should have been provided the help needed to prevent this tragedy. This world does not understand the importance of mental health and the need for help postpartum. This world does not provide a safe and comfortable space for moms to express how they are really feeling after having a baby."

Stigma to get help

Talking about the stigma related to postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis, Abbie E Goldberg, a psychology professor at Clark University and clinical psychologist in Massachusetts, said, as stated by Parents, “Stigma and a general lack of understanding of postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis are one part of the problem. Despite affecting individuals of diverse educational, racial, and cultural backgrounds, new parents who struggle with these conditions are often blamed for them."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.