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: Two little girls whose father wass in high school and a mother who was in prison as a pedophile, and whose young lives were undoubtedly shadowed by notoriety. And that was 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.
More About Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau
August 2004: Mary Kay Letourneau was released from prison.May 2005: Mary Kay and Vili Fualaau were married.
Commentary and Film Review: Mary Kay Letourneau: The Questions Remain
About.com Crime: Profile of Mary Kay
About.com Marriage: The Marriage of Mary Kay and Steve Letourneau
About.com Marriage: The Marriage of Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau
Resources:
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."
5 TIME Magazine, "Mad About the Boy"
6 Op. Cit.
7 Ibid.
8 Seattle Times: "Former teacher won't go to prison."
9 Op. Cit.
10 TIME, "A Matter of Hearts."
