Philosophical Ultrasound of Abortion
Abortion is an ancient practice. In ancient Greek and Latin societies, abortion was commonly practiced by doctors, especially in the case of extra-marital pregnancies . In Greece it was used to regulate the size of the population and maintain stable economic and social conditions . We lack statistics from the time to know how frequent abortion in these ancient empires was, or data that could help us study the progression on abortion practices over time and over different countries. However, we have testimonies of some texts from diverse authors that indicate a widespread familiarity with the practice and their various philosophical thoughts, views, and theories towards it.
In general, legislations from ancient …show more content…
As a support to his political ideas elaborated in the concept of an “Ideal State” expressed in the Republic, we find him supporting infanticide, and therefore also the idea of abortion. He promoted the idea of a strong and healthy generation of children to guarantee the protection of the “Ideal State”. For Plato, abortion was a form of control to regulate the population of the State, and control over those whose sexual practices had not remained within the limits favored by the “Ideal State” of Plato, which constituted the highest value among the men. They were directed and subordinated to all the virtues of man. If the State is the highest value, then the future citizens must not be allowed to live, unless they can serve the interests of these duties to serve the State. This program links the strict rules of marriage with the ultimate aim of producing a type of man, the most perfect possible way to serve the entire …show more content…
After analyzing the views of Plato and the ones of Kant, there are some good perspectives on the issue of abortion from both. For example, something really positive from Plato’s ideas was the fact that he talked about supporting the birth of healthy children for the promotion of a good society. This concept probably developed in medicine the notion of high risk pregnancy for those women after the age of 40. According to modern medical research if you do conceive over 40, you are more likely to need extra care during your pregnancy. If you do develop health problems, your doctor will classify your pregnancy as high risk. Meaning that the future mother will need extra care to ensure her and her unborn baby to stay as well as possible. Interestingly enough, the fact that so early in time Plato talked about high risk pregnancy results fascinating when in today’s world we find that the “odds of chromosomal problems also jump as you get older. About one in 200 babies born to women aged 40 or over have Down 's syndrome. This compares with one in 700 babies born with mums aged 35 to 39, and one in 1,500 babies born to mums aged 20 to 24”
Abortion is an ancient practice. In ancient Greek and Latin societies, abortion was commonly practiced by doctors, especially in the case of extra-marital pregnancies . In Greece it was used to regulate the size of the population and maintain stable economic and social conditions . We lack statistics from the time to know how frequent abortion in these ancient empires was, or data that could help us study the progression on abortion practices over time and over different countries. However, we have testimonies of some texts from diverse authors that indicate a widespread familiarity with the practice and their various philosophical thoughts, views, and theories towards it.
In general, legislations from ancient …show more content…
As a support to his political ideas elaborated in the concept of an “Ideal State” expressed in the Republic, we find him supporting infanticide, and therefore also the idea of abortion. He promoted the idea of a strong and healthy generation of children to guarantee the protection of the “Ideal State”. For Plato, abortion was a form of control to regulate the population of the State, and control over those whose sexual practices had not remained within the limits favored by the “Ideal State” of Plato, which constituted the highest value among the men. They were directed and subordinated to all the virtues of man. If the State is the highest value, then the future citizens must not be allowed to live, unless they can serve the interests of these duties to serve the State. This program links the strict rules of marriage with the ultimate aim of producing a type of man, the most perfect possible way to serve the entire …show more content…
After analyzing the views of Plato and the ones of Kant, there are some good perspectives on the issue of abortion from both. For example, something really positive from Plato’s ideas was the fact that he talked about supporting the birth of healthy children for the promotion of a good society. This concept probably developed in medicine the notion of high risk pregnancy for those women after the age of 40. According to modern medical research if you do conceive over 40, you are more likely to need extra care during your pregnancy. If you do develop health problems, your doctor will classify your pregnancy as high risk. Meaning that the future mother will need extra care to ensure her and her unborn baby to stay as well as possible. Interestingly enough, the fact that so early in time Plato talked about high risk pregnancy results fascinating when in today’s world we find that the “odds of chromosomal problems also jump as you get older. About one in 200 babies born to women aged 40 or over have Down 's syndrome. This compares with one in 700 babies born with mums aged 35 to 39, and one in 1,500 babies born to mums aged 20 to 24”