I actually have a theory about this. In the US, there is a *huge* amount of pressure put on women, especially straight women, to have and raise children. I know when I was a teenager and revealed to a few people that I had no interest in having children, I was told that if I'm not going to be a mother I might as well put a bullet in my head. Deciding not to have children is something that would never even occur to a lot of people. I know so many people who act as though parenthood were something that just happens and can't be prevented. That boils down to a whole lot of people having children they haven't planned for and don't really want. And most of the care of those children falls to the mother/stepmother. I would certainly never condone harming a child in any way, but I think we'd see a sharp drop in these kinds of cases if our society could just come to terms with the very simple fact that not everyone should have children. The maternal instinct doesn't always just kick in. The world would be a much better place if the only people having children were the ones who really, truly wanted them.
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