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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neocon who wrote (51982)	6/28/2002 6:26:57 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

Well, Neo, if a certain amount of infanticide is just to be expected, then levels NOW may actually be quite a bit less that they have ever been historically. Because of the lack of reliable forensic data this would be difficult to figure out- but recall the very very very high rates of infant mortality, and think, if you will, about rural or high density poor populations in other areas- from what we know of India and China infanticide is quite common (and was even before the communist one child thing, and before communism itself). I suspect it was probably just as common in rural England/America.Europe and probably even urban Europe and England in the past, and also common in the historic urban US. Now we find it shocking, but we no longer regard the child as a mere piece of chattel. Our whole view of the child has changed. But it seems very viable and in fact, judging from other societies and from our own past history, rather common to regard the child as somewhat disposable at the whim of the parents. IT could be worked to death, it could be beaten to death, and I'm sure parents did not find it all that difficult to smother an unwanted one to death. I'd guess that illegitimate babies in times when unwed mothers were particularly shunned suffered a very high mortality, but because of the lack of police forces, and complicity by family, I'd guess it was very little reported. I read a super thesis on Victorian sexuality, which touched on this topic somewhat. I've been trying to find my copy of it. If I find it I'll post some of the bits of data from it.