Any good attorney for Mrs. Yates will turn this into a trial about her HUSBAND and his neglect in not ensuring that his wife's biological depression was being taken care of. For example, her husband forced her to home-school all five children, he forced her to stay at home and look after the household, and he was well aware of her depression, and DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO HELP Mrs. Yates.
The days of not holding insensitive husbands partly accountable for ignoring their wife's needs are long gone. Mr. Yates had a marital contract which he did not fulfill with Mrs. Yates----his obligation was to "have and to hold' her. Instead he "ignored and let" her go.
True, he did not directly kill the children, but he certainly was a contributing factor in the deaths of these 5 innocent children.
Until we begin to understand many of the illnesses that women go through as mothers and spouses or just biologically, we will never cure unfortunate incidents such as this one.
The only way to cure the problem is to attack its roots, not to punish it for existing.
Ryan.