Socioeconomic vulnerability and the impact of legal stringency on infanticide and abortion
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2317-2770.v30i2e-239741Keywords:
Infanticide, Abortion, Legal, Development Indicators, JurisprudenceAbstract
Introduction: Throughout history, infanticide has exposed the complexity of societal responses to a crime that challenges notions of motherhood and the vulnerability of birth. Efforts to understand this dynamic and to design interventions have been accompanied by a declining trend in cases in developed countries. The adoption of preventive policies appears to be a key factor in this shift, with access to legal abortion being considered one of them. Objective: This study seeks to examine the relationship between levels of human development and legal frameworks governing infanticide and abortion, focusing on accessing whether legal abortion may contribute to reducing infanticide rates. Method: This documentary study analyzed the criminal codes of 54 countries with very high and low Inequality-Adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) scores. Laurence Bardin's content analysis method was applied to code and categorize the data, enabling the identification of patterns and cross-country comparisons. Results: The findings indicate that in countries with very high IHDI, infanticide tends to be more narrowly defined, and most of these countries have more permissive abortion laws, with comparatively lenient penalties for both. In contrast, countries with low IHDI exhibit stricter legal frameworks, with more severe penalties and restrictive abortion laws, contributing to high rates of unsafe clandestine abortions and increased maternal vulnerability. Conclusion: The concordance between the broader context in which abortion and infanticide occur and the relationship between legal stringency and socioeconomic vulnerability suggests a possible scenario in which abortion laws may act as a mitigating factor for infanticide in countries with low IHDI. However, it is essential to recognize that unresolved issues surrounding legal abortion continue to directly influence its effectiveness.
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