Mothers kill as often as fathers do

The Globe and Mail, by TIMOTHY APPLEBY, October 5, 2006

Mother-on-child homicides are rare in Canada but far from unknown.

Twenty-seven of the 37 children slain countrywide in 2004 -- 73 per cent -- were killed by their parents, and mothers were responsible for as many of the deaths as were fathers.

Among those 27 victims, 13 were killed by their biological mothers, eight by their biological fathers and five by stepfathers, Statistics Canada data show. A mother and a stepfather were jointly charged in the other death.

University of Toronto criminologist Rosemary Gartner has studied the phenomenon of mothers who kill their children and instantly recognized some of the circumstances accompanying yesterday's tragedy in Barrie.

"It sounds quite typical," Prof. Gartner said. "The fact that she was a single mom and that the marriage had apparently broken down, which is a very common thread. Socioeconomic disadvantage is also quite common."

"There may have been a feeling that she couldn't deal with the children and had no resources," the professor continued, "and if she tried to do harm to herself that would also fit the pattern.

"But the age of the kids suggests this was not postpartum depression."

If postpartum depression is evident, a mother who kills a child can plead guilty to infanticide, which carries a maximum five-year prison term.

Canada sees about 20 such cases each year.

Where the child is older than two or three months, it is rare for the postpartum defence to succeed.