The unwelcome child

A sequence of letters and essays argues that the conditions surrounding conception and pregnancy powerfully shape a child’s physical and moral development and that women have a decisive right to choose when to assume motherhood. Undesired maternity is presented as a moral injury to both mother and child, with detailed discussion of ante-natal influences, ante-natal education, and the husband’s responsibilities. Practical and ethical measures are proposed to protect maternal and infant welfare, promote domestic honesty about reproductive responsibility, and counsel husbands, wives, and young women on preserving purity, peace, and humane treatment within intimate relations.