Start Date
4-26-2023 9:00 AM
Disciplines
History
Subjects
World history, abortion, medical ethics, women's health, religion
Abstract
Abortion, the termination of a pregnancy, has been practiced throughout history in various forms and frequencies. The controversy of the procedure has prevailed similarly, evident from its earliest documentation to recent legal decisions. Statutory legal sanctions were scarce in ancient civilizations, and differing opinions were recorded in early medical, religious, and philosophical texts. These texts influenced centuries of common law & cultural attitudes toward the practice. Debate about the role of fetal viability, ethicality, and safety of the procedure wove their way into the public conscience. These ancient conceptions influenced the widespread emergence of statutory abortion law in the 19th century. Legislation was further shaped by state attempts at population regulation, improved medical technology, and shifting cultural opinions about bodily autonomy and women’s rights. Today, abortion law remains in flux, although trends towards liberalization are shown in the latter half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century. This paper is split into two sections: abortion in ancient civilizations (prior to the emergence of statutory law) and abortion in the 19th century-present (following the emergence of statutory law). In the first, the influence of ancient texts on ancient & modern opinions is examined chronologically. In the second, connections between ancient thought and 19th-20th century legislation are further analyzed, taking into account additional socio-political factors in each country that shaped its unique stances on the procedure.
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/39820
Included in
Law and Cultural Attitudes Towards Abortion: Ancient Civilizations to Present
Abortion, the termination of a pregnancy, has been practiced throughout history in various forms and frequencies. The controversy of the procedure has prevailed similarly, evident from its earliest documentation to recent legal decisions. Statutory legal sanctions were scarce in ancient civilizations, and differing opinions were recorded in early medical, religious, and philosophical texts. These texts influenced centuries of common law & cultural attitudes toward the practice. Debate about the role of fetal viability, ethicality, and safety of the procedure wove their way into the public conscience. These ancient conceptions influenced the widespread emergence of statutory abortion law in the 19th century. Legislation was further shaped by state attempts at population regulation, improved medical technology, and shifting cultural opinions about bodily autonomy and women’s rights. Today, abortion law remains in flux, although trends towards liberalization are shown in the latter half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century. This paper is split into two sections: abortion in ancient civilizations (prior to the emergence of statutory law) and abortion in the 19th century-present (following the emergence of statutory law). In the first, the influence of ancient texts on ancient & modern opinions is examined chronologically. In the second, connections between ancient thought and 19th-20th century legislation are further analyzed, taking into account additional socio-political factors in each country that shaped its unique stances on the procedure.