Please Help Postpartum Psychosis Victim Debra Lynn Gindorf
Click here to view a sample of the petition postcard
Postpartum illnesses are conditions which cause changes in a woman's mood during the months following the birth of a baby. The causes include biological factors, such as fluctuating hormone levels, and psychological/social factors, such as the overwhelming demands and stresses of new motherhood. The medical community recognizes three categories of postpartum illness. The most common is Postpartum Blues, which is suffered by 60-80% of new mothers. Typical symptoms are nervousness, tearfulness and feeling overwhelmed. The second condition, Postpartum Depression strikes 10-20% of new mothers. Symptoms include sadness, anxiety, inability to cope, bizarre thoughts and despair. The third, and most severe, form of postpartum illness is Postpartum Psychosis. Only 1in 1,000 of new mothers suffer psychosis, which include extreme confusion, irrational thinking, agitation, audio hallucinations, and an inability to control behavior. When not timely identified and properly treated, victims can commit suicide and infanticide.
During the last 15 years, the medical profession and enlightened lawmakers have made significant strides towards increasing public awareness of the dangers of postpartum illnesses. In 2003, the Honorable Rod Blagojevich, Governor of the State of Illinois, declared the month of May Postpartum Depression Awareness Month. Governor Blagojevich has renewed that designation for May, 2004.
Debra Gindorf is a woman who suffered postpartum depression and ultimately, psychosis, following the birth of her second child. In March of 1985, she became convinced that life was a horrible, hopeless nightmare. In her madness, she decided that she had to die and that she could not leave her children behind. Thinking of death as a mode of transportation to Heaven, she fed her two children and herself overdoses of sleeping pills. She awoke to find herself alive and her children dead. An unenlightened judge found her guilty but mentally ill of both murders. The law mandated a sentence of natural life with no possibility of parole for two murders; consequently, since her convictions in 1986, Debra has faced life in prison. Had the killings occurred in Great Britain or Canada, she could not have been convicted of murder, as the law in those countries distinguishes between the consequences of postpartum illnesses and malicious killings. In Illinois, however, the only way for Debra to receive justice is through executive clemency.
A clemency petition has been pending before Governor Blagojevich since April, 2003. Debra, who turns 40 this April, has been found to be currently mentally fit. She has agreed to undergo voluntary sterilization to ensure she will not have any more children. Please join us in commending the Governor for his commitment to increasing awareness, education and vigilance in the detection and treatment of postpartum illnesses. And please help us convince the Governor to demonstrate his understanding of postpartum illnesses and his compassion for its victims by granting Debra clemency in May, 2004, Postpartum Depression Awareness Month. Send an electronic postcard to the Governor stating your support!
If you are interested in signing a petition for Debra Gindorf, please fill out the form below and submit your information. We will then personalize a postcard and send it to Governor Blagojevich.
If you have any question or concerns, feel free to contact Josephine Ansah at jansah@ilmaternal.org or 312.491.8161.
Thank you for all you support!
Below is a sample of the postcard we will send with your information.
(Side One)
(Side two)
Please fill out the following form and click the submit button.
Thank you for your support!