In response to Rebecca Harkness' column in The Daily Collegian, I would like to offer a differing opinion about the issue.

Miss Harkness states ". . .we should also think about what it was like for Andrea. She was exhausted, caring for an infant and four young boys and dealing with a severe form of depression, making her feel like an incompetent, unworthy, horrible mother who just couldn't do it anymore." I can understand how one might feel some degree of sympathy about the situation. Being a stay at home mother (or father) is not a walk in the park. It is a hard job, but unfortunately, being a stay at home mother has not been considered a job since the feminist movement has demonized it during the last few decades.

I do feel that Andrea Yates suffers from mental illness, and we can try and blame the husband or her doctors or anyone else but her, however, the bottom line is that she is a killer five times over. I do not know of anyone who thinks this woman is totally of sound mind, but to me there is no disease or psychobabble that can justify these horrendous crimes. Why did Mrs. Yates murder her innocent children instead of killing herself? Not that this would have been a good outcome, but I know which situation I would have preferred.

Andrea Yates deserves to be punished, possibly lethally, for the heinous murders she committed.