The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1869-04-06
from the Medical Gazette.
ANTE-NATAL INFANT1CEDE,
What n High Medical Authority
Says--LayyS for its suppression
Called For.

There are, perhaps, but few subjects
on which the injunctions of Scripture
and the teachings Of modern science are
exactly in accordance, that breach of
the one may not be apparently condCned
by some sophistical Interpretation of the
other; and where such rare agreement
does exist, one might suppose that the
observance Of its conditions would be a
matter of course in q civilized, Christian
community. Strange to say, however,
the one great law which, more than any
other, is emphasized by divine and hu-
man sanction, is precisely the one most
shamclessly violated, and that, not by
untutored and depraved criminals, spur
red by hot impulses of the moment, but
deliberately and with malice aforethought
by women whose religious training and
refined culture should raise them above
reproach. Holding Il middle place be-
tween the faith based ethics of theology
and the bald materialism Of physiology,
comes political economy, taking into its
consideration our moral as well rs our
nature, and specializing upon
mans social, rather than on his individ-
ual relations Here, again, the increase
of our race is shown to be essential to
its advancement Although the distri-
button of population as local question
has given rise to diversity of opinions
among sociologists, all are agreed as to
the Importance Of multiplication within
the far-off limit Of ''the means of sub
sistence" Even the much abused Nal.
thus treated this matter in its local as
pect, and only incidentally limited at the
remote possibility of an over-population
of the entire world. Nor did he, as
some suppose, recommend the interpo-
sition of the "preventive' and ''repress-
ive' "obstacles' which he Describes
He merely stated them as phenomena
which he had observed, and sadly infers
that, where movement from an over
crowded locality is lmpeded, the multi
plication of the race must necessarily be
checked, either ty abstinence from mar
riage, or by death from privation. Nei-
therhe, however, nor any author of re-
pute, has ever taught that after marriage
is contracted, or passion gratifed, the
laws of God and of nature can be eX-
cusably outraged. And yet, here, in a
country which vaunts its superior civili-
Zation-here where almost illimitable
natural resources await mans touch to
yield him wealth-here, more than any
otherwere on earth, woman bellies her
mission and stiles the maternal instinct
which sanctifies even brntes. Well may
churchmen stand aghast when they learn
that crime comes to kneel at the COM
munion table; well may the secular
press denounce practices which leave to
immigration alone the population of our
land But neither press nor pulpit can
fathom the dull depth of the evil which
they condemn. They may sum up the
police records of infant corpses found
in ash-barrcls and vacant lots they may
count the barefaced advertisements Of
professed abortionists in the public
prints they may note the few children
born to parents of the supper class"
and guess that something is amiss; but
they can not know, as does the medical
observer, how vast a destruction of
life is committed without fear Of detec-
ton.
Granting, that disregard of proper
hygienic rules renders some women
barren, we nevertheless believe that
sterility from natural causes, even in
Questionable" circles, is much rarer
than is commonly supposed. True, in
fanticide at the more advanced stages Of
is bungling procedure, in
volving risk of exposure, and. therefore
seldom resorted to by those above the
vulgar herd; but there are other means
of avoiding the Disagreement and the
cares of maternity, and with these the
"wife of the period is fully conversant,
and unscrupulous in their use. tits not
within our province to discuss the ab-
stract morality Of the prevention of
conception, further than to give a clue
to the moralist by limiting at its frequen
cy; but it is our duty to call attention
to the facts that ladies, with whose ease
and amusements the inelegant function
of child bearing interferes, have adopted
a convenient mode Of ethics, which at
taches no blame to the extinction of
fetal life in its earlier stages. De
vout church going danes, who shudder
at the crushing of a beetle, feel no COM
junction in killing their own young,
provided that the deed be done within
the first two or three months Of gcsta-
ton, and information of new and ef
fective means of slaughter soon spreads
from one to another, until their arma
mentarium exceeds that of most respect
able physicians. A quarter of centu-
ry ago, no woman would have dared to
confess the things which wives now
speak of lightly, and commend as ''pru-
1ent' measures. The fact is, that adj
vancing civilization brings luxury in its
5rain, too many women are forgetting
that motherhood is their highest and
loliest mission, and, subordinating the
luties Of life to its pleasures, they seek
jhe marriage state for its social advan-
ages, but they are unwilling to assume
she responsibilities which marriage
should entail. Hence they leave no
means untried to avert the very aim
md object of their being.
To suppress the grosser horrors of
he abortionist's trade, revision of the
aw is needed. As it now stands, the
.ctual perpctrator of the crime is alone
to punishment (and expert
,nce has shown how seldom his convic-
ion can be securely, while she who in
,tigates the act goes free. lie who
lires an assassin to kill his enemy is
Justly held responsible for the deed of
lis agent. and the same rule should ap-
ply to the cause under consideration
Let it be made a felony to induce abor-
ion (save in certain specified instances,
wherein at least three qualified physi-
Clans shall certify its necessity, owing
% deformity or disease), at any stage
IF pregnancy; let the mother who sub
nits to abortion be held, not only as
'articeps crimiais, but as the principal
far guiltier than the mercenary
DOL whom she employs :; let such law