Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s Prison Sentence Shows Justice System’s Disregard For How Abuse Impacts Mental Health
To fail to understand the self-defense aspect of this story is to fail all victims of abuse
“I always knew I didn’t need the wheelchair” Gypsy Rose Blanchard stated in one of her many shocking interviews.
Gypsy Rose grew up in the grips of a mentally-ill mother who groomed her to believe that she was severely physically ill. Throughout her life, Gypsy was treated for illness after illness and made to believe that she had cancer, muscular dystrophy, seizure disorder, and more.
“Why didn’t you tell doctors that you knew you could walk,” is a question she has been asked repeatedly. But I think it’s kind of a stupid question. Here’s what I want to ask the people who feel the need to ask it.
Can you imagine being raised in a home where you would be punished for walking? Can you imagine being told (as an able-bodied person) that you could only use a wheelchair to get around when your legs seemed to work just fine?
Now let’s go back to the question — “Why didn’t you just tell the doctors?”Because she couldn’t tell the doctors, Ted.
