Mistrial Declared in Lindsay Clancy Murder Case
Are perceptions about this case setting a dangerous precedent or is it a bad-faith argument?
Above: Lindsay Clancy and Kevin Reddington listen during jury deliberations, Plymouth, Mass. on Sept. 4. Image credit: Greg Derr/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
The mistrial handed Lindsay Clancy a win, but it cost every other woman something. Turning hormones, SSRIs and postpartum struggles into a license to escape accountability revives a harmful trope. Follow that logic, and it can extend to mothers who simply admit to depression or intrusive thoughts.
Narrative B
The hung jury shows that the facts don't collapse into a tidy lesson about broken mothers, scheming husbands or dangerous liberal women. What happened here was an ultra-rare catastrophe of mismanaged psychiatric care and freak drug reactions — making it into a culture war issue misses the mark.
