Infanticide

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the horrendous act of infanticide. The paper claims that this practice has been evident in many cultures all over the world, dating back hundreds of years. The paper presents the apparent reasons behind the committing of infanticide. The paper identifies the legal aspects of this act, explaining it as both a substantive criminal offense as well as a partial defense to murder. The paper focuses on Australia's approach to infanticide.

From the Paper:

"Infanticide is the act or practice of killing newborns or infants. It has been committed or performed in every continent and in every level of culture from the poorest hunters and gatherers to the richest and most advanced classes of people and from the time of our ancestors to modern age (Milner 1998). The act or practice has been so rampant that there is enough evidence on record to show that it has been more the rule than an exception and this evidence reflects that parents themselves kill their infants under distressing and stressful situations. The practice or act was so frequent in England in the 19th century that both the medical and the private communities had to think of ways to control the crime (Milner) described by medical practitioners as savage in a contradiction to human progress."

More papers on Infanticide:

• Research Paper # 97329 : "Infanticide in England and Scotland"
• Research Paper # 30249 : "Female Infanticide"
• Term Paper # 95564 : "Infanticide"

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