Infanticide

Infanticide is the practice of intentionally causing the death of an infant. In many societies, especially in the past, certain forms of infanticed were considered proper; in many societies, especially today, the practice is considered immoral and criminal.

In many ancient cultures, including those of ancient Greece, Rome, India, China, and Japan, harsh conditions or cultural mores occasionally resulted in the harsh choice to end the lives of newly-born infants. The most usual method of achieving this was simply to abandon the infant, leaving it to death by exposure.

There have been some accusations that infantcide occurs in China due to the one child policy although most demographers do not believe that the practice is widespread. Although birth statistics are skewed markedly in favor of males, the statistics for older children are not so markedly skewed which suggests that many female births are not reported. Furthermore ultrasound machines are now widely available within China, it is believed that much of the birth skew is due to the illegal practice of sex-selective abortions. Finally, Chinese birth control regulations are nowhere as draconian as commonly believed in the West.