No More Bin Laden

[kandrathe]

Popular opinion trends mean nothing in a discussion like this.

Spartans exposing babies to death because they don't come up to standards.

Canaanites sacrificing their first born child to ensure future fertility.

Samurai free to kill peasants to test the edge on their sword.

Popular opinion is the *only* thing that means anything in a discussion like this.

--Pete

I was reading about the increasing availability of abortifacients by mail order. And, as you point out, culture and attitude drive peoples actions. In Asia, abortion is on the increase, however, infanticide rates are dropping. With ultrasound, they don't need to wait full term to determine the sex.

"A study of Tamil Nadu by the Community Service Guild of Madras similarly found that "female infanticide is rampant" in the state, though only among Hindu (rather than Moslem or Christian) families. "Of the 1,250 families covered by the study, 740 had only one girl child and 249 agreed directly that they had done away with the unwanted girl child. More than 213 of the families had more than one male child whereas half the respondents had only one daughter." (Malavika Karlekar, "The girl child in India: does she have any rights?," Canadian Woman Studies, March 1995.)"