A medical chart note on Aug. 18, 1999, the day Starbranch (Yate's
psychiatrist) gave the advice, reads: 'Apparently patient and husband plan to
have as many babies as nature will allow!' the psychiatrist wrote. ' ''This will
surely guarantee future psychotic depression.' ''
However, I couldn't find anywhere in the notes verification that Starbranch
was employed with the hospital.
If so, at least one mental health professional there had a clue.
Although I know this wasn't a Catholic couple, they were apparently under the influence of a very misogynistic fundamentalist preacher who held certain views regarding the inferiority and subservience of women. Including the ideas that they should use no birth control, and that working women are evil and selfish (NPR report on All Things Considered 2/28)
No matter how ethical and accurate the treating clinicians were they were not going to have the same degree of influence.
All psychologists are not good, ethical or right. Nor clearly are all religious authorities. One of the challenges to the independent thinking person is to try to figure out who is giving them good and helpful information. I think the message of this story is that is not RELIGION versus NON-RELIGIOUS PSYCHOLOGY, it is looking for real help.
BTW, one of the 800 reasons why I no longer practice Catholicism is its refusal (as is the case in most major world religions) to recognize the social and technological context and consequences of its rules.
Up until about 100 years ago, it made sense to have as many babies as possible. A substantial number of children did not survive early childhood, and children worked on farms and in family businesses from an early age (they were in a real sense working capital). Parents did not raise children in isolation as they so often do now because people tended to stay put.
Now these rules no longer make sense. Children thrive. This is representative of the problem with irrational dogma.
Nancy Melucci
LACCD ---
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