4 ms·

> "is it ethical to bring into the world ... " That's the complicated part - when does "bring into the world" begin? For the parents (at least that is how we f

• ggm 6y ago
  at least that is how we felt Key Words. You plainly understand other people feel differently.
  • lqet 6y ago
    Indeed. I have read somewhere that until the 19th century, that moment was often months after birth. It was common to give the newborn away to a nurse if you could afford it until it had survived the first year, and only then accept it as part of the family. This way, the parents could safe themselves a bit from the excruciating pain of child loss. Edit: This is e.g. mentioned in the German Wikipedia on Pox (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocken#16._bis_19._Jahrhundert https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocken#16._bis_19._Jahrhundert), there is also a citation for it. I have read it several times during the last years, but don't have a better source, sorry.
    • mainstreemm 6y ago
      Could you please provide a citation for this claim? It's fascinating if true, but I wonder which societies did this and what documentation there is for this practice. My understanding was that prior to the 20th century child mortality -- and mothers dying in childbirth -- were both common enough as to be practically mundane, or at least, as mundane as any death ever is.
      • narag 6y ago
        Prior to 20th century? For my grandparents' generation it was common that about a third of their siblings died during their chilhood, mostly before one year old. And I'm not so old ;)
        • redis_mlc 6y ago
          I think he wanted a citation for this: > It was common to give the newborn away to a nurse if you could afford it until it had survived the first year I wasn't aware of that practice, although before around 1994 there were all kinds of institutions that don't exist now, which is literally why downtown SF is the way it is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinstitutionalisation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinstitutionalisation