Lindsay Clancy was failed by our warped understanding of motherhood | Moira Donegan

Clancy's case became a referendum on mothers, healthcare, and the status of women

Most family annihilators are men. It's a grim fact that such incidents are common enough to have a discernible pattern. The massacre is carried out by a husband and father, often one who is on the verge of bankruptcy or divorce; typically, it forms the finale of a long reign of domestic violence terror.

About half the time, the perpetrator kills himself after slaughtering his family. Gun use is common - a large number of what are termed mass shootings" in the United States are in fact family annihilation killings, in which a man turns his weapon on his family members. Other times, the killer uses knives, or fires.