Legal Definitions - neonaticide

Neonaticide is the act of killing a newborn infant. It is a specific form of infanticide that refers to the death of a baby within a very short period after birth, often legally defined as the first 24 hours of life.

Neonaticide refers to the act of killing a newborn infant, typically within the first 24 hours of birth, or very shortly thereafter. This specific term emphasizes the extremely brief period of life the infant has experienced before its death, distinguishing it from broader categories of infanticide which might cover a longer age range for the child.

Here are some examples illustrating neonaticide:

• Example 1: A young woman, who had concealed her pregnancy from everyone, gives birth alone in her bathroom. Overwhelmed by fear and panic, she intentionally smothers the baby immediately after its birth to prevent anyone from discovering it.

  Explanation: This scenario demonstrates neonaticide because the infant is killed by an intentional act directly after birth, fitting the definition of a newborn being killed within the critical initial hours.

• Example 2: A father, struggling with severe postpartum depression and feeling unable to cope with the demands of his two-day-old infant, intentionally inflicts fatal injuries upon the baby, leading to its death.

  Explanation: This illustrates neonaticide as it involves the intentional killing of an infant within the very early days of its life, clearly falling within the "newborn" timeframe specified by the term.

• Example 3: A mother gives birth to a healthy baby in her home and, out of desperation and a desire to conceal the birth, wraps the newborn in a towel and places it in a remote area where it subsequently dies from exposure and neglect within hours.

  Explanation: This situation is an example of neonaticide because the mother's actions (or lack thereof) directly lead to the death of her newborn infant shortly after birth, demonstrating the killing of a baby within the immediate post-delivery period.