Should Matthew's parents be shown leniency by the law for their actions?

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/couple-charged-with-sons-murder/2005/07/07/1120704500233.html

A couple have been charged with murdering their disabled son who had been facing an operation likely to rob him of his only link to the outside world.

Margaret Sutton told Westmead Coroner's Court on Tuesday that her son was born with no eyes, "part of his face missing" and intellectual disabilities. But Matthew could hear and talk. Sound was his link to the outside world.

The morning after his death he was due to have an operation that would have left him deaf for at least three months, and with very limited hearing, if any, after that.

He did not understand what an operation was, let alone its consequences, but his parents understood too well: Matthew usually banged his head, hurt himself or became violent to others if he got angry and frustrated, his mother told the court.

Mrs Sutton told the coroner's court she cleaned her son and made him comfortable in his bed before an ambulance was called about three hours later.

But police were suspicious and in 2003 placed listening devices in their home, then invited Mrs Sutton for another interview.

There are mitigating circumstances.  But someone was unlawfully killed.
Is one of those lose lose situations really.

Some of my friends have 2 badly autistic kids.
The burden on them is terrible.
They have made arrangements for their kids ot be cared for after they pass away.
Their kids will NEVER "mature".

I can't see a "right" resolution. Just glad it was not me really.

Only the Medical Industry should be allowed to
put em down like a doggie on the Vet table.
Maybe process them into a gas chamber that is set up to be an entire computerised journey to heaven with some happy gas thrown in first, before the Irukanji vapors drift in.

It would be good for the Economy.
Just sayin.

Only humans have the stupidity to maintain the lives, at a burden, of disabled children.

All animals in nature rid themselves of the genetic misfortunes rather than have their gene pool tainted.

We even allow disabled to breed, often more disabled children.

The burden on the parents, society in general and the various systems is tremendous and unjustified.

They even built a seriously expensive disabled access at Tuggerah station, which cost more than the station itself, for disabled access.
In the first year it was not used
In the subsequent years, it has been used a few times, certainly not enough to justify the ridiculous amount wasted on it.
It woukd have been better to simply give the disabled new, modified cars.

Building "must HAVE, disabled access and toilets.
In the factory in which I work, we are required to have disabled toilets.
But there is not one task tgat a disabled person could do on the 22 to 44 ton heavy underground mining equipment.

This toilet is simply a storage area, never used, what a waste of money.

Valkie wrote on Nov 11^th, 2019 at 4:06am:



I honestly don't think in all my life i've encountered somebody quite as nasty and inadequately educated as you are.

You're utterly reprehensible.

Jasin wrote on Nov 10^th, 2019 at 10:02pm:


Heydrich would have been proud of you...

mothra wrote on Nov 11^th, 2019 at 6:29am:


Love you too.
But honestly, you don't keep disabled animals.
You shoot horses that break their legs
In the wild disabled animals are either eaten by predators or killed by their parents.

Wasting billions to keep a disabled person alive is pointless.
As for education, I have plenty thanks, engineering, trades and management.
But getting nasty is the norm when you have no logical argument against simple truth.

As for nasty
Not at all, I'm really quite likable once you get to know me
I just believe in stating honest, logical facts.

There are far more nasty people out there, just look at muzzos for instance.

cods wrote on Nov 14^th, 2019 at 6:07pm:


We are not talking about someone who has become disabled.

We are talking about a person born disabled, often profoundly incapable of doing anything for themselves at all.

They are nothing but a burden on their parents, society and the public in general, for What?
What possible benifit could they be to society.

Rarely, in the extreme, do they have a role to play.
Such as Stephen Hawkings.

For the most part they are simply existing, not living, not enjoying life, simply existing.
Some of the parents simply spend their lives catering to the needs of the child through to adulthood, thus destroying any chance they have for a normal life.

I have family who have seriously disabled children.
Their lives are a horror
24 7 they do nothing but look after their children.
Cannot real for a second
One even tried to suicide, and was labelled a horrible person for their attempt to leave their child to fend for themselves.

It's easy for others to judge
But is our time on earth meant to be nothing but looking after the needs of a useless individual?
Should we not use our time to contribute to the betterment of society rather than wasting It?

One of my family, as she got older and after her husband died
Tried to continue looking after a severely disabled child.
The child was violent in the extreme, this old woman was hospitalized several times before we managed to force the violent child into care.

No, I'm not best, just realistic.
And honest enough to voice my opinion.