Is the introduction of anonymous delivery associated with a reduction of high neonaticide rates in Austria? A retrospective study

Abstract

Objectives To assess rates of neonaticide after the implementation of a preventative “anonymous delivery” law in mid-2001 in Austria. Women are allowed to access antenatal care and give birth in a hospital anonymously, without showing any ID and free of charge. Design Retrospective Study Setting A complete census of police-reported neonaticides was obtained from the police statistics of Austria, Sweden and Finland. Population All neonaticides reported to the police, 1991-2009. Main outcome measures Neonaticide rates pre- (1991-2001) and post- (2002-2009) anonymous delivery legislation per 100,000 births. Methods The Mann-Whitney U test for two independent samples was used to compare neonaticide rates during the pre-law period to the rates observed after the implementation of the new law for each country. Results On average the rate of police-reported neonaticides was 7.2 per 100.000 births (SD=3.5, median=7.1) in Austria prior to passage of the law and 3.1 per 100.000 births (SD= 2.1; median= 2.6) after passage of the law. A significant decrease in neonaticide was observed in Austria after the implementation of anonymous delivery (Mann-Whitney U test p=.017). Whereas the Finnish and Swedish rates were lower than the Austrian rates before and after the implementation of the Austrian law, they remained unchanged over the study period. Conclusion Our data demonstrate a significant decrease in the number of police-reported neonaticides in Austria after the implementation of anonymous delivery. Even though underlying factors associated with neonaticide are complex, the findings could indicate an effect of anonymous delivery in the prevention of this crime.

Newborn Murder and its Legal Prevention

“…Anonymous delivery law allows women to give birth in a hospital without their notification. The study in Austria demonstrated a significant decrease in neonaticide cases after the implementation of the anonymous delivery law 41 . Baby hatches were put into practice in Lithuania in 2009, however, they have not been legalised yet.…”

“…Since the 20th century, mitigating conditions have been defined as a particular delivery state, physical and mental suffering 9 . A privileged composition of the criminal law is provided for in Austria, Belarus, Estonia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Switzerland, Ukraine and other countries 10 .…”

Naujagimius nužudžiusių moterų ekspertinių tyrimų Valstybinėje teismo psichiatrijos tarnyboje prie SAM 1994 – 2014 m. duomenų analizė

“…Kito Australijos tyrimo metu buvo nustatyta 17 neonaticido atvejų per 13 m. periodą (1968 -1981) [9]. 1991 -2001 m. Austrijoje neonaticidų rodiklis buvo vidutiniš-kai 7,2/100.000 gimdymų per metus, tačiau po anoniminio gimdymo įstatymo įvedimo Austrijoje 2002 -2009 m. laikotarpiu neonaticidų skaičius žymiai sumažėjo ir buvo 3,1/100.000 gimdymų per metus [10].…”

“…Austrijoje šiuose "kūdikių krepšeliuose" paliekami 2-3 kūdikiai per metus. Daugumos tyrėjų nuomone, "saugaus dangaus" principu įkurtos vietos yra efektyvi neonaticidų prevencijos priemonė [10].…”

A Retrospective Study of Neonaticides in Shanghai from 2007 to 2013

“…This phenomenon has different names in the past, then forensic psychiatrist Phillip Resnick coined the name neonaticide which usually was committed by a biological parent and distinguished from the killing of older children (infanticide or filicide) [1,2]. It happens in many countries with different cultures and development levels, such as the US, Germany, Netherland, India, France and Austria [3][4][5][6][7][8]. Though neonaticide is usually covert and rarely appeared in the media, there is voluminous literature on neonaticide from the 18th and 19th centuries.…”