Shame On The Media (again)

A verdict is due any moment in the trial of Karen McCarron, the mother who viciously suffocated her 3 year old daughter to death. Her daughter, Katie McCarron was a beautiful, precious, and happy little girl, she was also autistic. The media coverage has been sparse, and this story has gotten very little national attention. Thus far, every article or story I have read or seen leaves out a very crucial image--a picture of Katie. Most have no pictures, others show only Karen McCarron.

I have found, also, that most stories use lines and words like "...little girl was asphyxiated..." and "smothered," all take away from the fact that a mother murdered her child--held a plastic bag over her face for at least two minutes. The stories also include lines like this, telling us how much Karen McCarron suffered and how she "longed for a life without autism..." Where is all the outrage in the media? What advocacy groups are standing up for Katie?

The overall theme is that autism was to blame for a mother killing her own child. Karen has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. This woman was so insane, or so her attorney claims, that she drove her child to her parents' house, where she knew no one was home. She killed her, then drove Katie's lifeless body home. She carried her upstairs, passing by others in the home, pretending that Katie was sleeping. She then ran errands, and later went to "check in" on Katie. She then put on a convincing act that Katie was suddenly not breathing and began CPR. It was not until hours later when, I suppose, she felt some pangs of guilt and apparently tried to kill herself, that the truth came out.

That is not insanity. An insane person would not be capable of such a cover-up. We wish, as a society, that this person, this mother, who committed such a horrifying act was indeed insane. We hope that a person was unaware of what they were doing, and incapable of realizing how wrong it was. That is the only way we as humans can make sense of such a tragedy. A mother can't be so full of evil and selfishness as to take her child's life, right? Wrong. This woman is not insane. She knew what she was doing.

Autism is not to blame, autism did not kill this child. Katie's grandfather has described her in the most beautiful of ways, please, you must read this.

This murder again leads back to groups like Autism Speaks and most other supposed autism charities. These groups support the idea that autism and being a parent to an autistic child is sheer terror. They promote falsehoods such as autistics are lost, missing their souls, etc. They celebrate mothers who admit contemplated killing their own child, and lift her up as their heroic poster-mom. They further the idea that autistics are not due the same human and civil rights as the rest of us.

I pray this jury does not buy into her plea, or buy into the fact that autism is the true villain here. I pray there will be justice for Katie. I pray it will bring even just a little bit of peace to her father and grandparents.

Kristina Chew, PHD., on her AutismVox blog has been giving trial updates daily.

Still think that "cure" groups like TACA, DAN!, etc. are entirely innocent here? READ THIS!

I have to add, I am very upset and distraught over this story. I have been blunt here, but I feel it is necessary. My family, my friends, had never heard of Katie McCarron. The world should know her story. Katie's murder occurred several months after we first began to suspect my daughter was autistic. Hearing of her murder was actually the first time I had heard of an autistic child being murdered. It was startling to me. Katie's story stuck with me, her picture engraved in my mind forever. It was a stepping stone that led to this blog, and to me being fired up about advocacy and acceptance. Katie was murdered within a day of my child's birthday. When I see the pictures of Katie and hear stories about her from her loving grandfather, all I can think of is my own daughter. They seemed to be a lot alike. I can't imagine a day without my precious child, she is so amazing and I am blessed to be her mother. It is incomprehensible to me how a mother could feel any different. This truly breaks my heart.