We don't have enough facts to decide whether the system should have helped Mary regarding her medications. But she could have done more to help herself - and she did not.
According to TIME, "Mary has never fully accepted [Dr. Julie] Moore's diagnosis."10 This kind of denial, sadly, is yet another common characteristic of people with BP - but it is not an excuse. She had already gotten herself into serious trouble once, yet she did not understand or believe, apparently, that taking her medication was essential to prevent further problems. She did not, at that point, act responsibly.
And the result is: Two little girls whose father is in high school and a mother who is in prison as a pedophile, and whose young lives will undoubtedly be shadowed by notoriety. And that is certainly a crime.
March 2002: Vili Fualaau, now 18, and his mother, Soona Vili, filed a civil suit against the Highline School District and the City of Des Moines, Washington, alleging that these entities should have protected Fualaau from Letourneau's advances. The defense's contention was that the events were unforeseeable. Vili and his mother lost their case.
August 2004: Mary Kay Letourneau was released from prison.
May 2005: Mary Kay and Vili Fualaau were married.
TV-Movie Review, Questions and Commentary
1 Seattle Times: "Bipolar disorder: Valid excuse for Letourneau?
2 Ibid.
3 CNN: "Teacher who had boy's baby ordered into treatment"
4 Seattle Times: "Letourneau's failure not a surprise" (No longer available.)
5 TIME Magazine, "Mad About the Boy"
6 Op. Cit.
7 Ibid.
8 Seattle Times: "Former teacher won't go to prison..." (Article no longer online)
9 Op. Cit.
10 TIME, "A Matter of Hearts" (No longer available)
Additional Information:
Profile of Mary Kay Letourneau
