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Article: A brief history of population control and contraception. (Symposium: Overpopulation and Contraception)
- Article from:
- Free Inquiry
- Article date:
- March 22, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Few, if any, individuals or societies have ever approached the maximum level of fertility, and the conclusion seems obvious that various customs and methods have been adopted to limit the number of births. Statisticians like to talk of a "total maternity ratio," which could be defined as the average number of previous live births per woman now aged forty-five or over, regardless of whether a particular woman has children (not all women can or do have children). This ratio varies with different groups and societies.
Note that the "total maternity ratio" is based upon live births, which means that abortions are excluded whether they are spontaneous or induced. Being ...