Information on Infanticide

    While abortion is the intentional killing of and unborn child, infanticide is the intentional killing of a born child.  Sometimes also referred to a neonaticide, this form of killing is accomplished in the same two ways euthanasia (mercy killing) occurs.   The killing is through either a positive act, in which the child is allowed to die or by an indirect act, such as starvation.

    Infanticide has been practiced in many areas.  Often the atrocities of infanticide in China come to mind first.  Infanticide has even been practiced in the U.S.  In 1982, the Indiana Supreme Court upheld the decision of parents of a Down’s Syndrome baby to be starved to death.

    The Catholic document, The Gospel of Life, clearly states in section 39 that life is a sacred gift from God.  Please refer to the following internet site for this Church document:

www.nccbuscc.org/prolife/tdocs/index.htm

    The point is this, once again: One cannot devalue the list of one class of people i.e. the unborn, newborn handicapped babies, the elderly without devaluing all of human life.  If we respect life only under certain circumstances, is not anything possible?