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To the Editor: In their article about newborns killed or left to die by their parents, Dr Herman-Giddens and colleagues¹ reported that a surprisingly large proportion of the parents in their sample were married, were aged 21 years or older, and had other children. Although Herman-Giddens et al suggested that this behavior may be due to the need to conceal the birth of an illegitimate infant from parents or society, older married parents seem unlikely to have these concerns.

It is more likely that such parents fear that they simply cannot afford to care for their new infants.² This type of neonaticide was once relatively common in Western countries,³ but in recent years it has been reported only sporadically.⁴ However, it may account for as many as 27% of all cases of newborn murder in Japan, where it is referred to as mabiki.²

Although Herman-Giddens et al suggested that . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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