This appears to be a new book review of a book that was published in 2013!
The book is a grim reminder that human civilization and human dignity are still very young that only began after the Industrial Revolution!
For thousands of years, children were often exploited and they were often dispensable despite high infant mortality.
"... Across many different cultures, “the enduring and persistent nature of the killing of newborns throughout history” is well-documented. “Certainly, infanticide can be traced back to prehistoric epochs and the very beginnings of recorded history, as archaeologists and anthropologists have offered strong evidence to suggest that Palaeolithic parents practised new-born child murder on a fairly regular basis.” Among the ancient Mesopotamians, Greeks, Romans, as well as the Vikings, Irish Celts, Gauls, and Phoenicians, practicing infanticide was “commonplace.” The same was true of Ancient Egypt, China, and India. In fact, infanticide was once almost universally accepted and is recorded in “nearly every civilisation, culture and continent across the globe.” The rationales varied: “In some cultures children were killed as an offering to the gods in order to secure an abundant harvest, or some other good fortune, as it was believed that their bodies could transfer growth and fertility. Other infants were slain for medicinal purposes as it was held that the blood and flesh of neonates could confer health, wellbeing and even youthfulness to the recipient. In various primitive societies twins were considered evil and condemned to be destroyed immediately after parturition.
Many societies eventually outlawed infanticide, which is forbidden in faiths such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. But even where infanticide was illegal or violated the prevailing religious tradition, it was often nonetheless common and widely tolerated, with laws against the practice ignored or only sporadically enforced. ..."
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