The article discusses the Lindsay Clancy trial, where jurors are deadlocked on a verdict and may declare a mistrial. This has sparked a broader conversation about postpartum stress defense in the US, with some advocates arguing that mothers should be able to kill their children if they're extremely stressed. A Canadian law professor, Isabel Grant, suggests that this defense could be applied to older kids, citing Canada's infanticide law, which allows for a maximum five-year sentence for killing a child under one year old. The article presents the idea as a potential expansion of pro-choice policies, with some arguing that mothers should be able to kill their children at any age due to postpartum stress.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
The Free Press Book Club is thriving!
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Club → thrive → ?
It’s the hottest space in town.
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It → ’ → town
And it’s not too late to sign up for email updates here, or join 3,500+ other Free Pressers already reading and discussing East of Eden in the forum.
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it → ’ → forum
Also: We have some job listings at the bottom of the column, for superfans only.
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We → have → superfans
Now, let’s get to the fresh hell of our summer doldrums.
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’s → let → doldrums
→ Lindsay Clancy jury deadlocked:
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jury → deadlocke → ?
I know the Lindsay Clancy trial is not technically the most consequential story of the week, but in my circles (moms) it is The Only Conversation, so bear with me.
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it → know → me
Twice they have gone to the judge to say the jury cannot come to a decision.
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jury → go → decision
If they cannot reach a verdict, the judge could declare a mistrial.
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judge → reach → mistrial
There are some clues as to what may be happening.
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what → be → ?
For example, at least three of the female jurors were spotted curiously wearing pink, the color worn by Clancy supporters who think she is the victim of pharmacology and maternal stress and believe that—after a stint in a healthcare facility where she will be declared no longer a danger, which, by the way she has already been declared—she should go free.
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she → spot → way
The deeper idea being proposed here seems to be that moms should kind of be able to kill their kids.
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moms → propose → kids
Like, if they’re really, really stressed.
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they → ’re → ?
In Canada, that’s the law already.
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that → ’ → Canada
If a parent kills a kid under the age of 1, it’s a maximum five-year sentence.
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it → kill → 1
We’re now going to see a movement to bring that to the U.S., and also to expand it to older kids.
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We → go → kids
Here’s the CBC this week.
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CBC → ’ → ?
They called up criminal law expert Isabel Grant, a professor at the University of British Columbia, to say how this is a perfect example of how the infanticide law should expand to older kids.
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law → call → kids
Technically, in Canada, Clancy could have raised infanticide as a defense for the murder of Callan, who was eight months old, said Grant, the criminal law professor at UBC.
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Grant → raise → UBC
But the killing of Clancy’s older children could not be defended as infanticide even if she hadn’t recovered from the birth of the youngest child when she killed them, she added.
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she → defend → them
A shortcoming in the law, says the law professor, is that a mom might be in jail longer than five years if she kills a bunch of kindergartners since the postpartum might not carry over to each killing.
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postpartum → say → killing
Maybe postpartum should last until the kid’s 18, right?
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kid → last → ?
Maybe moms—if they’re under a lot of pressure and like, super, super stressed and changing Zoloft dosages and can’t figure out the Snoo—should be able to kill her offspring at any age?
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they → ’re → age
It’s pro-choice taken to the nth degree.
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It → ’ → degree
My moderate take on “pro-choice until the second trimester” will soon be seen as the radical right position.
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take → see → position
The new moderate is saying you draw the line at a 5-year-old.
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you → say → old
A psychologist will be like, after 5, the children have too many neurons and are, in fact, not fair game.
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children → have → fact
On Thursday afternoon the jury were again sent home without having reached a verdict.
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jury → send → verdict
The judge reminded the jurors about the definition of reasonable doubt.
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judge → remind → doubt
Clancy’s defense attorney blamed a single juror he said was holding things up, saying “there’s one juror that refuses to listen to the law.”
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that → blame → law
Oh, Clancy is definitely walking free after all this.
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Clancy → walk → this
Trump coin going live: We have a president obsessed with cash and shiny things, which is probably why you can now buy a roll of Trump coins.
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you → go → coins
Bulwark editor Catherine Rampell put it best: “I like that this design appears to show the birth date of liberty as 1776, and its death as 2026.”
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design → put → 2026
Yes, that’s it.
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that → ’ → ?
My personal favorite part is that the government is so dysfunctional that the webpage to learn about the coin kept getting overwhelmed.
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webpage → learn → coin
Someone call in the Airbnb guy to fix this!
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Someone → call → this
When was the last time you saw a notice like this?
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you → see → this
Anytime you encounter a government product, it’s 2004.
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it → encounter → product
Just let me buy my Trump coins, okay.gov?
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me → let → coins
I need them to convert into FreedomBucks so I can transfer them to my $LIBERTY.fi wallet to pay for a meeting in the Oval Office.
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I → need → Office