Courts must consider mental illness issues

Insurance in the courtroom? Now that the health care insurance issue is largely settled for the nation, I ask for renewed, vigorous effort to bring about insurance of the protection within the court system for defendants who have mental illness. We are all entitled to a trial by a jury of our peers.

Case in point, Michelle Kehoe, diagnosed with several mental illness disorders, sentenced to life with the charge of premeditated murder in the first degree. It demonstrates lack of knowledge in this so-called jury of her peers.

Premeditation is not relevant to this mental illness as it does not operate on systematic cognitive planning. Mrs. Kehoe loved her son, that is clear. A 20th century poet put it this way, “Pity this monster, mankind.” That monster is you, folks, you society, not the very ill woman, leveled with bombast, on the stand, a scaffold.

Mrs. Kehoe loved her son. It was her illness that took his life.

Martha York

Iowa City