Book Being Reviewed:
Meyer, C.L., & Oberman, M. (2001). Mothers who kill their children: Understanding the acts of moms from Susan Smith to the “Prom Mom”. New York, NY: New York University Press.

Reviewer:
Kevin Webster

Genre:
Non-Fiction - Adult

Subject Headings:
Crime, Female lifespan development, Family dynamics, Poverty-urban, Poverty-rural, Social justice, Violence-domestic

Review:
In the eyes of the public and the media, a mother is often cast as murderer, abuser, or psychopath when she kills her child. Meyer and Oberman (2001) challenge the descriptions given to mothers who kill. Criminal assumptions prevent clinicians, judges, jurors, and the community at large from understanding the true developmental nature of the problem. The authors describe shared intrapersonal, interpersonal, and societal obstacles facing mothers and pregnant women today. The book clarifies how clinicians and helpers can understand the psychological and societal conditions of motherhood that contribute to this social problem.

The authors found mothers overburdened by poverty, adolescent motherhood, domestic violence, sexual assault, poor education, childhood sexual abuse, mental illness, and isolation. Infanticide and filicide is set against cultural and societal expectations that motherhood can only be a joyous and welcomed transition. Prevailing assumptions lead to decreased social support during a time of increasing stress.

This book is important for counselors because the authors present a population of mothers that have slipped through the cracks of mental health outreach. The book begs the reader to strive for an empathic, nonjudgmental perspective of an issue that, at first glance, seems steeped in immorality and punishment. By providing a typology of women who commit this crime, counselors can recognize the significant risk factors that contribute to this unique dilemma. If we as mental health and other wellness professionals can identify, mitigate, and help solve the psychosocial stressors that make infanticide and filicide an option for some mothers, we can also be part of the solution.