Natural History of the Present
Rob Brooks – Evolutionary Biologist & Author
“Pro-lifers” consider the termination of a pregnancy the moral equivalent of taking a newborn life. Their strategies seek to blur distinctions between aborting a fetus and killing a newborn. I argue that an understanding of that relationship—drawing on evidence from centuries of history and millennia of evolution—leads to the conclusion that abortion is the most humane alternative to infanticide, adding to the case for safe, legal, accessible abortion for women who need it.
The most common serious pregnancy complication arises due to an ancient conflict between mothers and fathers. Itcould have ended badly in so many ways. My friend, let’s call her Amy, in vibrant mid-twenties health, could not have been more ready…
T. Gale, A. B. Gibson, R. C. Brooks, M. Garratt Journal of Evolutionary Biology. DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12192 Abstract In mammals, allocation to reproduction can either be primed or suppressed in relation to cues from other individuals. Some conspecifics (e.g. potential mates)…