Source: TW
In Australia, while parents cherished their surviving children, 15-30% of newborns were killed (Yengoyan, 1972). Reasons for infanticide varied:
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The children were twins - “two heads” being thought unnatural (Bates, 1944)
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The birth caused the mother significant pain or trouble (Roth, 1907)
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The mother was unmarried (Leichhardt, 1842-1844)
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The child was believed to not be the husband’s child (Morgan & Buckley, 1852)
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The mother had children too close together - within 12 months of previous birth (Morgan & Buckley, 1852)
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The child was considered a burden (Lumholtz, 1889)
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The father was European (Lumholtz, 1889 & Leichhardt, 1842-1844)
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The mother died in childbirth - the child was blamed (Roth, 1907)
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The child was eaten for nutrition during famine (Angas, 1847 & Bates, 1844)
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The family had grown too large (Blackhouse, 1843)
The father (and tribal elders) often had a say whether the child lived or died. Sometimes the child was killed by the mother, the father or even the midwife
As in many cultures, newborns weren’t seen as having any intrinsic rights. If a child was unwanted, it was usually dispatched immediately, before any emotional attachments had formed. I suspect Australian mothers saw their newborn as a “non-person” in the same way many modern people see a fetus.
Jane Goodale was told by informants that jumping from a tree or hitting the womb with a stick were sometimes done to induce abortion among the Tiwi
Interestingly, there are reports of abortion from a couple regions but it was apparently rare. One reason for the rarity of abortion is that it may have actually been more dangerous than giving birth first