Abortions – opinions
“OF all the sins, physical and moral, against man and God, I know of none so utterly to be condemned as the very common one of the destruction of the child while yet in the womb of the mother. So utterly repugnant is it, that I can scarcely express the loathing with which I approach the subject” (Gardner, 1894).  This quote is one that we could easily hear about this topic today, anywhere in the world. I had not known before that abortion had been such a hot topic for such a long time. I will not tell you my own views as I want to remain unbiased, however, most people do have an opinion on the matter.  “Jardien * (* Jardien, “Etude Medico-1ega1e sur l’infanticide.) reports that in thirty-four cases of criminal abortion, where their history was known, twenty-two were followed, as a consequence, by death. In fifteen cases, necessarily produced by physicians, not one was fatal” (Gardner, 1894). The author of this article is clearly against abortion, even in extreme cases he offers a secondary choice. With this statistic though, she offers a scientific reason why. The maternal death rate for abortions was high. This statistic references both clinical abortion and criminal abortion. That is another interesting fact I learned about the topic. I didn’t know that the Mother could be charged as a criminal for non-clinical abortions. I also learned, before these other facts, a little bit of the history of abortions and infanticide. “At Athens it was particularly girls and those of the inferior classes that  were condemned to death. The ancient Norwegians followed the same custom with regard to females when there were too many in the same family.
On the coast of Guinea, in Peru, and among the Hottentots, in a case of twin pregnancy, the feeblest was put to death, and in preference, the girl, when the sexes were different.
In Madagascar ,and New Granada and Greenland, when the mother died during or after confinement, her living child was buried with her.
In case of famine or misery in China, New Holland, Kamtchatka, they killed their children, as they formerly did in Athens” (Gardner, 1894). I learned a lot about this very touchy subject. Although it has not changed my own views it has surly lent a much deeper connection to the recent events of two very separate time periods. To have a hot topic which spans so vastly over the years is fascinating to me. I find this important because it lends a feeling of how things have and haven’t changed in the world. It also gives insite into how many places treated and viewed children, women, and body rights.

Gardner, Augustus. “Victorian London – Sex – Abortion – Opinions.” Victorian    London – Sex – Abortion – Opinions. 1894. Web. 27 Aug. 2015.