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Merkel Concerned

German Government Concerned about Infanticides

On Wednesday, eight dead children were discovered; on Thursday, two more -- all apparantly killed at the hands of their mothers. Germans are wondering what went wrong and senior politicians are voicing concern.

Following the gruesome revelations of infanticide in two German towns earlier this week, senior politicians are voicing concern over infant and child care in Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Germans Thursday to pay more attention to neighbors in need while Family Minister Ursula von der Leyen proposed mandatory medical check-ups for all children.

Meanwhile on Thursday, two more dead babies were found -- one in Nordhausen, in the eastern German state of Thüringen and one in Berlin.

The newborn in Nordhausen was found cold and lifeless on Thursday evening in the concrete apartment block of its 27-year old mother. Initial reports suggest that the mother bore the child alone in the apartment bathroom before abandoning it. Her 9-year-old son and his friend are said to have been in the apartment at the time. The state prosecutor has launched investigations into manslaughter.

Late Thursday afternoon, the young woman called a self-help group in Hamburg and admitted that she had given birth to a baby that was probably dead. The group contacted the police. An autopsy is expected to reveal more about the circumstances of death. The mother, who has made no statement, was taken to a hospital.

Also on Thursday evening, police found a 24-year-old woman and her 6-week-old daughter dead in an apartment in Berlin. The young woman is said to have had serious drug problems and had was receiving regular assistance from local children's services. She appears to have died from an overdose, her daughter from dehydration.

The two discoveries on Thursday came a day after five children were found dead in the house of their 31-year-old mother in the northern German town of Darry. Three more corpses, the children of a 28-year-old woman from the eastern German town of Plauen, were also discovered this week.

Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed shock at the recent spate of infanticides and insisted that "the children of the weakest in our society must be offered a secure future." While responsibility falls primarily on the federal, state and municipal authorities, Merkel emphasized that "children in need are a concern to us all." The chancellor has put child protection on the agenda for the next meeting of state premiers, to take place on Dec. 19.

Meanwhile, in an interview with the daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, Family Minister von der Leyen of the Christian Democrats (CDU) praised the initiatives of several states to make children's medical check-ups mandatory. In these states, failure to comply results in a notification of child protection authorities: "This is a non-bureaucratic way of keeping track," she said. The minister ruled out the possibility of federal legislation along these lines, saying it would not be constitutional.

A spokesperson from the Justice Ministry referred to proposed draft legislation that would enable family courts to intervene earlier in unstable domestic situations. It would compel parents to participate in child-raising, conflict resolution and pediatric health courses.

nmb/ap/reuters