Did Infertility Drive Mark Saunders to Desperate Stand Off?
I am used to hearing adjectives like, “baby-desperate” and “obsessive” when people talk about people struggling with fertility issues. I am not used to infertility being used to describe the reasons behind why a mild-mannered, well-respected barrister turn into a “crazed gunman” shooting at his neighbor’s home in Chelsea West London until he was eventually killed by police.
Like any unexpected actions that end in tragedy, there is an immediate urge to delve into the reasons behind the actions. What happened? How did this come to be? There must be an explanation. There must. We need to know why.
According to the Times Online,
The couple were also believed to want to start a family. According to one friend, their hopes of children had suffered setbacks. A police source claimed that Saunders was troubled by doubts over his fertility.
Wait. Are you saying that in addition to creating some fiscal challenges, some potential disagreements and hard conversations with your spouse and making you re-evaluate how you see yourself, your sexuality and your wholeness as a person, fertility issues can create this kind of violent transformation? Hold on. Perhaps I’m reading it wrong. Let me read a little further….
What turned the family lawyer into a gunman? A detective close to the case said Saunders had had a row with his wife in the hours leading up to the siege. “It was about his alcoholism and his infertility,” the detective claimed.
What do you think about this? Is infertility being used as the ultimate scapegoat here? Or do Mr. Saunders’ actions speak to the loneliness and frustration that so many others dealing with infertility issues feel? Will this incident help or hinder infertility awareness efforts?
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3 opinions for Did Infertility Drive Mark Saunders to Desperate Stand Off?
moosh in indy.
May 12, 2008 at 8:52 am
Dude, of all the men I know that are infertile they keep it under pretty tight wraps. And even the ones (okay, one) who is open about it I’ve never seen it drive him to fits of rage. Ever.
If anything I see women lying about their own fertility to cover up what their husbands are going through so they don’t look or feel like less of a man. Yes it’s hard to accept that you may never have a child the stereotypical way, but that doesn’t mean if you really want a child there’s not other ways of getting one in your life. (I feel like that was full of all sorts of double negatives.)
I’m going to say it’s more looney with a side of alcoholism than fertility issues. But that’s just me.
Anon
May 12, 2008 at 12:43 pm
As someone who knew Mark, albeit some time since I last saw him, and someone who has experienced fertility problems first-hand, I would very much doubt that this was the driving factor.
Please stop speculating….I knew him and am none the wiser about why this happened. We may never know!
Gabrielle
May 12, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Anon, thank you, sincerely, for your comment.
I, too, doubt that infertility was the cause of the actions and was frankly, quite surprised that a national paper would jump so quickly and so decisively to those conclusions.
I hope you didn’t think I was speculating as to the reasons behind Mr. Saunders actions. I agree - we may never know. But in the media jump to find reasons, infertility was among those singled out. My question is how will the Times’ portrayal of this as an incident with ties to infertility affect the public view of infertility and those who cope with it.
I am sorry for the loss of someone you knew personally.
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