1. To clarify, the question I meant to ask was; But why are insane people sent to asylums instead of prisons?
Because the purpose of prisons is to punish the sane for their actions. (Theoretically they're supposed to rehabilitate, but who believes that?) Punishing the insane does not prevent them from repeating their actions, indeed very little does, but we try to fix their mental illness all the same.
Over here, mentally ill people receives treatment instead of punishment precisely because they are not considered show to be held accountable for their actions. The justice system hinges upon criminals being able to tell "right" from "wrong" and still choose wrong. If a person is irrational, delusional, or otherwise unable to understand or envision the consequences of their actions, it throws the legal system off the table.
3. Point being - you said "Circumstance does not absolve you of responsibility for your actions". But you claim the circumstance of a burglary absolves you of the responsibility of that murder. Whether it's legal or not is irrelevant, we are talking about moral responsibility.
Obviously it is never a good thing to kill someone. However, when your own life is on the line, you have to defend it. We can't expect people to sacrifice themselves.
I am not arguing about whether or not people have a right to defend themselves. What I ask is simply, are there circumstances which absolves people of the responsibility of their actions?
The question then is, what if somebody is not capable of making rational choices at all?
Then they're probably a vegetable or need to stay in a padded room until they die.
You know this isn't true.
[/quote] I will also remind you that we know nothing of this woman's mental status. She could be completely rational, but a horrible person.
[/quote]
Can we please get a news article up in here, so we can quit with all this completely baseless speculation about who she is or what she's been through, or whether or not she deserves sympathy, empathy or compassion for what is clearly a horrendous crime?
I feel the question of this one individual's mental health is a bit behind the scope of the discussion, to be honest. We might as well base it on a hypothetical example as this one.
That said, from what little we know, I don't think walking into a Walmart bathroom to give birth speaks in the favour of her being sane.
Lastly, this is my last post on the subject for tonight. the clock is half four in the morning here, and I need to sleep. Feel free to get the last word, if you wish.