Neonaticide

Neonaticide is the deliberate act of a parent murdering their own child during the first 24 hours of life.[1][2] As a noun, the word "neonaticide" may also refer to anyone who practices or who has practiced this.

Neonaticide is relatively rare in developed countries, but most of these murders remain secret:

"...every year, hundreds of women commit neonaticide: they kill their newborns or let them die. Most neonaticides remain undiscovered, but every once in a while a janitor follows a trail of blood to a tiny body in a trash bin, or a woman faints and doctors find the remains of a placenta inside her."

Neonaticide is considerably more commonly committed by mothers than fathers; infanticide is also more likely to be committed by mothers than fathers. A 1999 United States Department of Justice study concluded that between 1976 and 1997 in the United States, mothers were responsible for a higher share of children killed during infancy, while fathers were more likely to have been responsible for the murders of children age eight or older.[4]

  1. ^ Craig, M. (2004). "Perinatal risk factors for neonaticide and infant homicide: Can we identify those at risk?". Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 97 (2): 57–61. doi:10.1177/014107680409700203. PMC 1079289. PMID 14749398.
  2. ^ Resnick, Phillip J. (1969). "Child Murder by Parents: A Psychiatric Review of Filicide". American Journal of Psychiatry. 126 (3): 325–334. doi:10.1176/ajp.126.3.325. PMID 5801251.
  3. ^ Pinker, Steven (2 November 1997). "Why They Kill Their Newborns". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  4. ^ [unreliable source?]

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