Currently, several countries discuss the issue of misery and world poverty. For some experts, hunger and health problems affecting many nations are closely linked to birth control . Despite the contemporary relevance of this subject, we can observe that the conception of life is a very old concern in History.
In his famous work The Politics , Aristotle already suggested that all couples should have a maximum limit of children and that, when necessary, the woman should have an abortion . In contrast, Hippocrates , considered the Father of Medicine , refuted this same practice because of the risks it poses to women's health. From a moral point of view, Pliny , the Old , believed that abortion was a practice that made men inferior .
To Soranus of Ephesus , abortion should be allowed whenever the pregnancy would pose a risk to the mother's life . However, this choice was always linked to the husband's decision-making power , more interested in obtaining an heir to manage his possessions and wealth. To a certain extent, male recrimination of abortion was linked to political and economic issues.
Already at that time, there was a parallel discussion about whether or not abortion involved the extinction of a living being. Based on Aristotelian reflections, philosopher Saint Augustine believed that a fetus could only be recognized as human after 40 or 80 days of the first kick in the womb . When abortion took place before that deadline, it was no longer seen as a homicide to be judged as a crime of lesser importance.
Between the 19th and 20th centuries, abortion was seen as a real attack against projects of a nationalist nature. Seen as a “natural gift” , the woman should give herself entirely to motherhood. That's because each of her children would have the important mission of working, fighting or contributing to the triumph of the nation. Thus, abortion was seen as an attack on national development .
Even with the reprimand of the State and ecclesiastical members, abortion has always had a relevant presence in the most different societies. Not by chance, the most peculiar contraceptive methods were recommended. In the 2nd century, Soranus advised a woman to contract her abdomen and hold her breath so that the semen did not reach the bottom of the uterus .
Among the Romans , there was the ingestion of water, salt and vinegar solutions. Over time, recipes with herbs, creams and vaginal oils, pessaries, were part of an infinite contraceptive pharmacopeia. On the other hand, several governments have criminalized the practice, alleging the moral and religious prejudice linked to abortion. In many cases, the State determined that the fight against abortion was part of its political functions of guaranteeing the lives of its citizens.
In the 1960s, the invention of the contraceptive and the rise of feminist movement configured a new situation for the theme. From then on, religious and government officials highlighted the risks that the abortion practice would offer to women. Finally, we still know that the matter is far from reaching a conclusion. The recognition of women's life and autonomy are issues that will never reach a consensus.