Infanticide and society

As the framework to this study I accept that rights are meaningful only within the context of a social system, and belong to individuals only in virtue of their role within the system. The implications of this theory are examined in the study.

The study opens with a historical review of infanticide in Western civilization, it continues with a socio-biological perspective of infanticide. Both points of view stress the fact that infanticide crosses both social, geographical and historical borders.

A theory that examines the moral justification of abortion and infanticide based on the absence of the fetus' and infant's right to life, is examined in detail and rejected.

A theory of rights presented by Alasdair Maclntjnre is proposed as the framework for this study. One proposed application of this theory is shown in the case of infants, and is based on psycho-social data from infancy. The conclusions of this application are applied in two cases: those of imperilled newborns, and the mentally retarded.