Mothers accused of baby harm seek exoneration through science.
Mothers accused of harming their babies are turning to genetic testing to prove their innocence, following the release of Kathleen Folbigg, who was freed after scientists discovered a previously unknown mutant gene in her two daughters that could have been fatal. The case has supercharged calls for a better system of post-conviction review in Australia, so that others who claim to have been wrongly convicted don’t languish in prison for years. Mothers accused of medical child abuse are reluctant to talk publicly about what’s happening in case they’re perceived to be seeking attention, one of the traditional markers of Munchausen by proxy.