Caesarean Kidnapping: Maternal Instinct, Malingering and Murder
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Since 1987, there have been at least 21 incidents worldwide of pregnant women being kidnapped and their foetuses forcibly removed via caesarean section. This usually results in the mother's death. In all cases, the perpetrator was a woman. This paper will review the 21 known cases to find the patterns and meaning behind the acts. It will discuss the condition known as Munchausen’s disorder by proxy, and how these women represent an extreme form. These women don’t simply want a baby; they need one in order to secure all the rewards and privileges of motherhood. These women so desired the attention, care and love that society gives pregnant women and new mothers that they were willing to kill to obtain it.