Meghan McCain Warns Conservatives Over Postpartum Comments Amid Lindsay Clancy Trial

Meghan McCain joined several conservative women Monday in criticizing commentary about postpartum depression and maternal health, warning that dismissive rhetoric from the political right could alienate voters ahead of the 2028 election. The former "The View" co-host said some conservative voices were adopting a harsh tone when discussing fertility, pregnancy and postpartum health, cautioning that Republicans would need the support of moderate voters, or "normies," in future elections.

McCain's remarks came amid the ongoing trial of Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts woman accused of strangling her three children in January 2023. Clancy faces three counts of first-degree murder. Her attorneys do not dispute that she killed the children but argue she should not be held criminally responsible because she was experiencing severe postpartum psychosis and other mental health problems at the time. Prosecutors contend the killings were planned and intentional.

Under Massachusetts law, a person may be found not criminally responsible if a mental disease or defect substantially prevented them from understanding that their conduct was wrong or from conforming their actions to the law. That question is central to Clancy's trial as jurors hear competing accounts of her mental state before the killings.

The broader debate intensified after conservative commentator and podcast host Matt Walsh argued that much of the depression some parents experience after childbirth stems not only from hormones but from the demands of caring for a baby. Walsh added that more selfish people would face a more difficult adjustment.

McCain was among several conservative women who pushed back on the broader rhetoric surrounding postpartum health. Kylie Jane Kremer, executive director of the pro-Trump group Women for America First, called Walsh's framing dangerous and argued that reducing postpartum depression and serious psychiatric illness to selfishness could drive women away from the political right.

Republican strategist Corinne Clark Barron, co-founder of FreePressFail.com, also criticized Walsh's comments, describing the hormonal changes after childbirth as a serious physical experience rather than a matter of character. Barron shared her own postpartum experience, including disrupted sleep, intrusive thoughts, and panic attacks, while stressing that recognizing postpartum mental health problems was not the same as excusing violence.

Alyssa Farah Griffin, a "The View" co-host and former Trump administration official, also pushed back on the discussion, arguing that postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis should not be treated interchangeably.

Other conservative reactions focused on the victims in the Clancy case. Andrew Kolvet, a Turning Point USA spokesman and executive producer of "The Charlie Kirk Show," emphasized that Clancy's three children were the victims of the killings.

Walsh later defended his original post, saying critics had ignored qualifications in what he wrote and mischaracterized his argument. He stood by his comments and rejected the backlash.

Clancy's trial remains underway in Plymouth Superior Court as jurors continue hearing evidence about her mental health and treatment before the January 2023 killings.