Abortion in the Ancient World [Hardcover]

This book examines the ethical dilemmas and arguments about abortion, very similar to our own, which exercised Greek and Roman doctors, philosophers, historians, theologians, dramatists, novelists and poets. In this important new study, Professor Kapparis extrapolates the views of ancient physicians on abortion from a detailed investigation of the medical facts, medical and philosophical theories concerning the human status of the unborn in antiquity, the Hippocratic Oath, and other important documents on Greek medical ethics. He explores the reasons why women in antiquity sought abortions, male concerns and attitudes towards abortion, and religious, social, cultural and demographic trends influencing the legal status of abortion in antiquity.

Preface
Introduction
1. Methods of Abortion: Science and Superstition
2. When Does Human Life Begin?
3. The Doctor's Dilemma
4. The Woman's Point of View
5. The Man's Point of View
6. Abortion and the Law
7. Attitudes to Abortion: A historical Perspective
Appendixes
1. Pseudo-Galen: Whether what is carried in the womb is a living being
2. Abortion, the Hippocratic Oath, and the sacred ordinances of the Philadelphia inscription (LSA20)
Abbreviations
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index of Ancient Authors
Index of Topics

Konstantinos Kapparisis Assistant Professor of Classics at the University of Florida.

Abortion in the Ancient World presents the ancient debate on abortion and its ethics against its historical, legal, economic, social and cultural background, and links it to the modern debate.