Parents should go to jail if they fail to report the death of their child within 2 hours. That is the proposal gaining support in the US after Casey Anthony, a mother charged with murdering her 2-year-old daughter Caylee, was found not guilty two weeks ago.
Yet scientists approached by New Scientist say such a law could not be feasibly upheld.
Much public outrage hinges on the fact that Anthony did not report her child missing for a month. This would become a felony under the proposed law.
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But is it possible to estimate time of death accurately enough soon after a death? 鈥淚t鈥檚 very unrealistic,鈥� says , a forensic pathologist at the University of Edinburgh, UK. 鈥淲e tend to be good at determining time of death in the first 24 to 48 hours, but even then we estimate it plus or minus a couple of hours,鈥� he says.
What鈥檚 more, this estimation is based on research on adults, making it less reliable for children. The proposed law is now under review in over 30 states.
