Daschle & Kennedy Call for Abolition of Bathtubs

June 30, 2001, Washington, D.C. (CNN)

In the wake of the tragic and horrifying drowning of five children by their mother Andrea Yates in the bathtub of their Houston home, Democratic Senators Tom Daschle and Ted Kennedy have called for making home bath tubs illegal. "How many children have to die before we accept the fact that bath tubs are a major cause of death in the home," Kennedy said. He cited Consumer Product Safety Commission data which confirms that bathtubs are now one of the five leading causes of home accidental deaths.

"It may very well be that if this severely depressed mother had not had ready access to a bathtub, these five innocent children might still be alive today," Kennedy added at the somber Washington press conference. He was surrounded by representatives from a wide range of liberal organizations including People for the American Way, Children's Defense Fund, and Bathtub Control, Inc.

Daschle and Kennedy also called for an immediate doubling of National Institutes of Health funding for post-partum depression. "We've been ignoring the cries for help of these horribly depressed women for too long," said National Organization for Women president Patricia Ireland. Mrs. Yates is "as much a victim as a criminal in this sad incident," she observed. Ireland also said that this incident only underscores the fact that America remains a "patriarchal society" where women are forced to rear children at home "isolated" and without "any support networks from government or the community." "This situation where women are imprisoned at home with their children is the worst possible kind of child-care arrangement for mother and child."

Mrs. Yates made her first public appearance this morning on The Today Show. In her usual probing, but empathetic manner, Katie Couric asked: "Mrs. Yates, after you drowned your five children, how did that make you feel?"

Kennedy and Daschle pledged that they would launch a series of Senate hearings on bathtub-related deaths, and were greeted by thunderous applause by many of the consumer-advocate groups in attendance. People don't drown children, bathtubs do," Ralph Nader noted. "We intend to do to bathtubs in this decade what we did to Corvairs in the 1960s: abolish them." Marian Wright Edelman weighed in by noting that it will do very little good to "get handguns out of the home, if people still have access to bathtubs that are statistically about as dangerous."

The American Trial Lawyers Association says that it will set in motion a $6 billion class-action liability suit against the "rapacious and irresponsible" bathtub producers for selling these "weapons of destruction."\

Activist groups chimed in that a ban on bathtubs would have collateral societal benefits. The Sierra Club issued a press release noting that "bathtubs needlessly waste gallons of water every day" and that the optimal "green policy" would be for Americans to take showers, not baths, and preferably not every day."

Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas ridiculed the Daschle-Kennedy bill, saying: "Rather than just ban bathtubs from homes, why not ban water and modern plumbing."

Daschle ended the news conference by declaring: "After Andrea Yates drowned her five kids in that bathtub she called 911 and confessed with great remorse: 'I Killed My Children.' But it wasn't just this poor tortured mother, but each and every one of us in society who were co-conspirators in this senseless death and I will work tirelessly on legislation to make sure that this kind of tragedy never happens again."


heres the link to this one bathtubs kill

so does anyone see the silliness here?

<font color="silver">That guy`s a politician, isn`t he ?? :D :D </font>

I find it rather pointless, I think this woman would have found a way to kill the children with or without a bathtub. Banning bathtubs isn't going to have an effect on the deaths, IMNSHO. And it certainly would affect my cleanliness...

Seems a bit over the top after 5 deaths, But when the total goes up to 35,000 per year (like with your shooty things) you might like to give it some thought.

Personally I never needed to carry a gun to protect myself.

<font color="pink"> Where did you get that 35,000 total? Did that total include police and civilians defending themselves? As for not needing a gun to defend yourself, that could be solely due to the places you have visited. There are many places where you DO need a gun to defend your self. (not necessarily in the U.S.)</font>

Still shaking it here Saz! ;)

<font color="pink">Some Stats for the United States.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics

For the Year 1999 (latest records posted)
Accidental Deaths and murders caused by:

All Causes: 100,683
Motor Vehicle: 42,401
Falls: 13,162
Poisoning: 12,186
Suffocation: 5,503
Drowning: 3,529
Fire: 3,348
Medical: 2,591
Environmental/Natural: 1,923
Other: 15,216
Accident Firearm: 824
Suicide: 16,599
Homicide: 10,828 (note this is ALL types of homicide, with guns, knives and other implements of destruction)

According to these statistics guns are far from our biggest problem.
And apparently looking at the drowning stats, it looks like Bathtubs are INDEED a danger!</font>

<font color="red">Edit: I knew that the 35,000 stat that a lot of people were talking about could not be right since there were not that many homicides and gun accidents combined in any single year that they had recorded. Their records go back to 1981.</font>

[ 05-31-2002, 08:56 PM: Message edited by: MagiK ]

All I can say is that drunken oaf Ted Kennedy has done it again. If stupidity were painfull he would have blood gushing out of his nose and ears. Banning bathtubs is about the most ass backward thing I have heard of in my whole freaking life !!! Also , let me add that Ted Kennedys car has killed more people than both my bath tub and my gun combined.

<font color = lightgreen>At first I thought this was a very clever piece of sarcasm (I love good sarcasm).

Then I followed up on the link.

[img]graemlins/saywhat.gif[/img] This is real?!

Then I followed up some more--it is a sarcastic parody! [img]graemlins/laugh3.gif[/img] Found here.

I like it! [img]graemlins/petard.gif[/img] </font>

Well, we better ban ALL Home Pools, Washing machines, Dryers and Dishwashers--hell, let's just ban sinks too! no.. no.. LET'S BAN WATER!

Whatever those goof-balls are smoking, I want some..... [img]graemlins/dontknowaboutyou.gif[/img]