Killing a Child: Ancient Way of Family Planning and Population Control
by Killing a child was the ancient way of family planning and population control as they were not equipped with scientific knowledge and resources to prevent or terminate the pregnancy.
Family planning is the process to restrict the number of children in a family. If exercised properly the population of a city or a nation can be kept under control.
Family planning methods
Various methods are in use. Pills, condoms and injections are common to avoid pregnancy. Operations like vasectomy and ligation provides permanent prevention. Abortion is another way to get rid of undesired pregnancy.
Ancient way of family planning and population control
Could we control the population if these facilities were not made available to us? Probably not, but ancient people had their own way. They just let the newborn die.
We may not like this idea but what options they might have in ancient times when they were not equipped with scientific knowledge and resources to prevent or terminate the pregnancy. They had to wait for the baby to come out for to be eliminated.
Infanticide
In ancient Greece, the father of the child was entitled to decide if a newborn be allowed to live or not.
Child born with some kind of disability or illness or appearance not appealing was straight way rejected. Child not of desired gender was also not accepted. Shortage of food was another factor for elimination.
In some cities decisions for infanticides were taken by a council of elders.
Methods of killing
Once child was rejected it was left somewhere outside to die of hunger and thirst or could be animal food. Parents could not be blamed for its death as they abandoned the child and left it in the hands of the nature or gods.
Suffocation was another way of killing and mostly done by mother.
Sometimes child was sent for sacrifice in the name of god or goddess.
Abortion and killing are same
A pregnant woman can get rid of pregnancy by abortion. But in ancient times a woman had to deliver and then exercise infanticide.
Terminating the life of newborn is killing. Terminating the life of an unborn child is also killing. There is not much difference in these two.
Late abortion
The only difference might be killing in three months (abortion) and killing in ten months (infanticide). But in both cases it is killing. What difference does it makes if you kill early or late.
If killing an unborn child is abortion then killing a just born child can be termed as late abortion.
Read more:
Child sacrifice: Ancient way of trading with God
Sex selective abortion and missing 100 million women
Sati system: the practice of widow burning with dead husband
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Post Commentmomofplenty
On May 27, 2012 at 10:37 am
…interesting….
ArgyrwEva
On May 27, 2012 at 11:37 am
In ancient Greece in fact this happened in Sparta, a city of worriors. The free Spartan citizens were all professional warriors, and had slaves for everything else. To them a disabled child was useless because he could not be a good warrior…and so they killed it by throwing it of the top of mountain Kaiadas. This was in fact mandatory in Sparta, if the parents decided they did not want to kill their baby, they were forced to leave Sparta and never return, leaving back any property… But they did’t kill healthy girls, in fact, women were treated with a lot of respect in comparison with other societies of that age! Girls had equal education and training with the boys! This was because they believed that only a healthy, strong and intelligent woman could give birth and raise a strong warrior!
Also, in Sparta it was a disgrace to give birth to a disabled (in their mind, useless) child, so most parents killed them by themselves as an act of loyalty to Sparta…
Safa
On May 27, 2012 at 9:57 pm
That is so wrong…They had other forms of birth control even then
webintechs007
On May 28, 2012 at 4:07 am
Great Post…well written…