Question

A posthumous child is defined as:

• A. A child delivered after the death of the biological mother
• B. A child delivered after the death of the biological father
• C. A child born after the death of both parents
• D. A child who has been abandoned by the parents

Hint:

Posthumous = born after the father has died, conceived while he was alive.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Define the term. In forensic medicine, a posthumous child is one who is born after the death of his or her biological father.
Step 2: Reason from the word. "Posthumous" literally means occurring after death; legally and forensically it refers specifically to the father's death because the child is conceived before but born after the father has died.
Step 3: Select the answer. Option b, a child delivered after the death of the biological father, is correct.
Step 4: Reject distractors. A child delivered after the mother's death would describe perimortem or postmortem delivery, not a posthumous child, and the options about both parents dying or abandonment do not fit the legal definition.