On this day, September 14th, Rosemary Kennedy would have been 100 years old. Not that it would have mattered since her life was stolen away from her in 1941, when her father, Joseph P. Kennedy forced her to undergo a lobotomy which turned her into a ghost of a human being for the rest of her natural life.
The reason why the patriarch of the Kennedy clan did such a horrendous thing is that the rebellious, moody, uncontrollable Rosemary could have damaged the family's good name and endanger Joseph and his sons' political ambitions by doing something shameful, like flirting with the wrong guy or falling pregnant.
Before: Rosemary (right) with her 'mother' and sister Kathleen, the night she was presented at the Court in London, 1938
After: Rosemary pictured in 1988 at the clinic where she spent her life
Reading a new stomach-churning article about the tragic life of this innocent woman I could not help but wonder if some of the most important political moments of the 20 century, events that shaped the world we live in, were nothing but some form of divine retribution for that unspeakable act - a father secretly taking his daughter to have her brains turn to mush so she won’t embarrass the family.
The year was 1941, Rosemary had just turned 23. Kennedy Sr. Was already focused on the political future of his sons.
- Joe, his eldest son and designated heir, was killed in 1944, a sad loss no doubt and I can only hope it hurt like hell.
- In 1961, Kennedy Sr. survived a stroke which left him with a severe speech impediment, but he remained mentally alert, able to watch and understand what was to follow.
- John F. Kennedy made it to the top only for his father to watch him assassinated on live TV. His brains splashed all over the car, ironically.
- There was still hope, Bobby could step in but he, too, was gunned down.
- Kennedy Sr. died in November 1969 and one can only hope his mind was still sane enough for him to understand the consequences of the Chappaquiddick incident in July of the same year, which destroyed his last surviving son’s chances of ever becoming president, although Edward Kennedy managed to survive the curse and have a political career.
No need to add other tragedies of the Kennedy clan, as this is not about them. This is about the young woman who was condemned to live the life of an imbecile so her brothers could have bright careers. In this light, it doesn’t even matter who killed JFK, what matters is that their despicable father was there to bury his ambitions along with his sons. Speaking of guilt, all the Kennedys share some of it. Her own mother, the famous Rose Kennedy, did not visit her in the institution were she was hidden from public view for 20 years. There is no excuse for such cruelty, no mother worthy of that name forgets about her own child for 20 years, so it’s a good thing she was there at those funerals.
Justice was served!
I know one could claim there were mitigating circumstances, lobotomy being a legitimate medical procedure at the time and the inventor of this barbaric procedure was awarded the Nobel prize and thousands of operations were performed around the world. This speaks volumes about us as a human race and our claims at being civilized. Maybe for violent criminals that was better than putting them to death, but for a father to take his young daughter and have her brain destroyed with a knife that’s beyond comprehension.
