Why Do Moms Kill Their Children?

In the article, Why Do Moms Kill Their Children? from the Washington Post, maternal filicide is discussed. When I first started to read this, it didn't make sense to me how any mother could perform this terrible action. However, throughout the article I got some answers. It has been concluded that “Mothers don’t kill their children unless they are seriously disturbed,” said Lanny Berman, executive director of the American Association of Suicidology in Washington, D.C." A mother who decides to kill her child could easily be depressed, just like mother Ashley Newton was after she had stabbed her 7 month old boy. According to the article studies have shown one main conclusion that explains this crime, "Studies and experts agree on one common factor when mothers commit such an unthinkable crime: extreme mental illness". This is very rare and usually wouldn't occur unless the specific mother had serious issues. “Unless there’s a really unusual circumstance, a mother doesn’t kill her children,” Caffese said of the Newton case. “I bet there were signs all along that were just missed.”