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From: arnold@ucsfcgl.UUCP (Ken Arnold%CGL)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: "Traditional Values"
Message-ID: <685@ucsfcgl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 28-Oct-85 19:24:36 EST
Article-I.D.: ucsfcgl.685
Posted: Mon Oct 28 19:24:36 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 30-Oct-85 05:59:48 EST
References: <274@fear.UUCP> <5798@tektronix.UUCP> <2722@ihuxf.UUCP> <664@ccice2.UUCP> <626@lasspvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: arnold@ucsfcgl.UUCP (Ken Arnold)
Organization: UCSF Computer Graphics Lab
Lines: 32
Keywords: infanticide

In article <626@lasspvax.UUCP> cheryl@lasspvax.UUCP (Cheryl Stewart) writes:
>In article <664@ccice2.UUCP> pwk@ccice2.UUCP (Paul W. Karber) writes:
>>In article <2722@ihuxf.UUCP> features@ihuxf.UUCP (aMAZon) writes:
>>>	You're absolutely right about most marriages being based
>>>on economic grounds.  A daughter was looked upon as another
>>>commodity, like a cow or a goat.
>>
>>Are you trying to say that in the past people did not love their
>>child unless it was male?
>
>In the past, many people KILLED their child unless it was male.
>I'm not talking about 19th century amerikka, I'm talking about
>more primitive cultures.  
>
>The history of infanticide shows that it was limited to
>
>       a) female infants
>       b) stepchildren and bastards

Although I think Cheryl's response was, in general, quite correct, I
must (well, I *will*) make an historical correction.  The history of
infanticide shows that infants in categories (a) and (b) were *more
likely* to be killed than others.  However, it was a well known
practice among many groups (the ancient Greeks, for example) to expose
male children who did not seem healthy, who were born under *very* bad
auspices, or who came at times of personal poverty or community
famine.  People were much more willing to expose a female infant since
it was also a long-range burden on the family, but it was in no sense
*limited* to female, stepchildren, and bastards.  Otherwise, a fine
response, Cheryl.

		Ken Arnold