CW: Fillicide
Yesterday was March 1. Every year on March 1, the disability community acknowledges the Disability Day of Mourning. The day acknowledges disabled people who are killed by their parents or other family members.
Among developed countries, the United States has the highest rate of child murder. The most common perpetrator of child homicide is a parent. In the United States, parents who have killed their children account for about 2.5% of all homicide arrests. Each year, approximately 500 filicide arrests are made.
Filicide is unfortunately common among parents of disabled children. According to one study conducted by The University of California, Irvine, 26 disabled children were identified as victims of filicide-suicide in 22 news articles published between 1982 and 2010. 81% of the children slain were boys. 54% of them were also autistic. Filicide occurs among children with a variety of different diagnoses.
The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network has monitored such incidents for more than a decade. In that time, over 1,900 disabled people have been killed by their relatives. These numbers reflect not isolated tragedies but a systemic pattern, one that is often minimized or reframed through narratives that sympathize with the perpetrator rather than the victim.
Too often, media coverage focuses on the stress of caregiving, the lack of services, or the supposed burden of disability. Headlines describe the perpetrator as overwhelmed, devoted, or out of options. This framing suggests that the disabled person’s life was less valuable or that the killing was understandable. It ignores the victim and reinforces the dangerous idea that some lives are worth less than others.
Disability Day of Mourning challenges that narrative. It insists on naming those who were killed. It emphasizes that disabled lives are fully human, deserving of protection and community support. It also highlights systemic failures—ableism, inadequate services, lack of respite care, poverty, and isolation—that create environments where violence is more likely.
Recognizing this day is not about blaming families. It is about demanding better: improved support systems, greater media accountability, better policy, and a culture that does not treat disability as a tragedy that justifies harm. It is about listening to disabled people, raising their voices, and ensuring they are at the center of discussions about their own lives.
Mourning is necessary. However, so is action. Disabled people deserve safety, dignity, and respect.
Sources:
Coorg, Rohini, and Anne Tournay. “Filicide-suicide involving children with disabilities.” Journal of child neurology vol. 28,6 (2013): 745-51. doi:10.1177/0883073812451777
Good, Jules. “Forced Reporting Endangers Students with Disabilities .” New Hampshire Bulletin, States Newsroom , 5 Mar. 2024, newhampshirebulletin.com/2024/03/05/forced-reporting-endangers-students-with-disabilities/.
Loeppky, John. “2025 Was a Year of Collective Mourning for Disabled Communities.” Truthout, Truthout, 6 Jan. 2026, truthout.org/articles/2025-was-a-year-of-collective-mourning-for-disabled-communities/.