Mothers Who Kill Their Children (e-book) (used book) | bookbook.eu

Description

A special kind of horror is reserved for mothers who kill their
children. Cases such as those of Susan Smith, who drowned her two
young sons by driving her car into a lake, and Melissa Drexler, who
disposed of her newborn baby in a restroom at her prom, become media
sensations. Unfortunately, in addition to these high-profile cases,
hundreds of mothers kill their children in the United States each
year. The question most often asked is, why? What would drive a mother
to kill her own child?

Those who work with such cases, whether in clinical psychology, social
services, law enforcement or academia, often lack basic understandings
about the types of circumstances and patterns which might lead to
these tragic deaths, and the social constructions of motherhood which
may affect women's actions. These mothers oftentimes defy the myths
and media exploitation of them as evil, insane, or lacking moral
principles, and they are not a homogenous group. In obvious ways,
intervention strategies should differ for a teenager who denies her
pregnancy and then kills her newborn and a mother who kills her two
toddlers out of mental illness or to further a relationship. A
typology is needed to help us to understand the different cases that
commonly occur and the patterns they follow in order to make possible
more effective prevention plans.

Mothers Who Kill Their Children draws on extensive research to
identify clear patterns among the cases of women who kill their
children, shedding light on why some women commit these acts. The
characteristics the authors establish will be helpful in creating more
meaningful policies, more targeted intervention strategies, and more
knowledgeable evaluations of these cases when they arise.

Cheryl L. Meyer is Associate Professor in the School of Professional
Psychology at Wright State University, and author of The Wandering
Uterus: Politics and the Reproductive Rights of Women. Michelle
Oberman is Professor in the College of Law at DePaul University, and
teaches and lectures at Cook County Hospital and University of
Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine