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Definition: INFANTICIDE from Dictionary of Psychopathology

The murder of a child, usually by the mother, but also seen to be perpetrated by other nonmaternal figures. Historically, this phenomenon was identified as the murder of the infant immediately after birth and, in patriarchal societies, usually of female babies. Also seen to be of greater incidence in economically disadvantaged societies.


Infanticide

From Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience
Infanticide is the killing of an infant, a child under the age of one year. Although the perception of infanticide holds some cultural variation throughout the world, the English Infanticide Act (1938) is clear; infanticide is defined as the killing of a child within 12 months of birth by the mother of the child. This perspective of English law is also found in the legislation of some of the states of Australia, such as New South Wales, Western Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria. In Canada, under the Criminal Code of Canada, Part VIII: Offences Against the Person and Reputation Section 233, “A female person commits infanticide when she causes the death of her newly born child.” In Asian countries, infanticide is not always the result of action by the mother. Rather, the decision for the killing may well be communal, such as a decision of the village, extended family, or the husband. Very few Asian countries, such as China, have clearly stated legislation prohibiting infanticide and even…
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Full text Article infanticide

From Encyclopedia of Ethics
Infanticide is the intentional killing of a newly born, or recently born, human infant. Although it is sometimes assumed that as a social practice infanticide is a phenomenon found only in primitive societies or in ancient times, there is ample anthropological evidence that it has occurred in…
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Full text Article INFANTICIDE

From International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family
Infanticide is the deliberate killing of infants under the age of one year. This restricted definition conceptualizes infanticide as a postnatal abortion procedure rather than as a type of child abuse. Infanticide and abortion are often used as family planning mechanisms, carried out to protect the…
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Full text Article Infanticide

From The International Encyclopedia of Human Sexuality
Infanticide by males is argued to have...
infanticide reproduction sexual selection Infanticide is the killing of dependent infants by conspecifics. It may be committed by either sex, but infanticide by males is relatively more common and widespread in mammals, particularly primates. At least a dozen adaptive and two nonadaptive…
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Full text Article Infanticide

From Wiley Handbooks in Criminology and Criminal Justice: The Handbook of Homicide
Introduction Constructing a typology of infanticides and neonaticides has unfolded over time in social, cultural, legal, and clinical settings. Since the killing of newborns and infants has existed throughout history, perspectives have varied. More recently attempts evolved to classify such…
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Full text Article infanticide

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
In law, the killing of a child under 12 months old, and more generally, any killing of a newborn child. It is often seen as a method of population control, especially among hunter-gatherers and nomadic societies where it may be impossible for a mother to carry around more than one small child and…
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Full text Article infanticide

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(ĭnfăn'tӘsīd) [Lat.,=child murder], the putting to death of the newborn with the consent of the parent, family, or community. Infanticide often occurs among peoples whose food supply is insecure (e.g., the Chinese and the Eskimo). Female infanticide was common in some traditional patriarchal…
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Full text Article Female Infanticide

From The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Family Studies
female infanticide feticide gender violence homicide infanticide violence against children violence against women Abstract Female infanticide is the deliberate and intentional act of aborting female fetuses or killing young female children on the sole basis of their biological sex. While the…
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Full text Article Infanticide and the Law

From The SAGE Handbook of Domestic Violence
Infanticide is defined as an act in which an individual kills their own infant. Since the creation of infanticide laws, the term has historically pertained only to women who kill their young children (Oberman, 1996). Within the legal context, infanticide is generally defined as the act in which a…
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Full text Article infanticide

From Collins Dictionary of Sociology
the killing of infants soon after they are born. Several reasons have been identified for the practice of infanticide, especially in nonindustrial societies: a means of population control, particularly in times of trouble such as FAMINE or war; a means of eliminating children with undesirable or…
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Full text Article infanticide

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Killing of the newborn. Infanticide has often been interpreted as a primitive method of birth control and a means of ridding a group of its weak or undesirable children; but most societies actively welcome children and put them to death (or allow them to die) only under exceptional…
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