The Limited Abortion Freedom of Ancient Roman Women:From the Perspective of a Rescript of Septimius Severus  

作　　者：倪滕达 Ni Tengda(Beijing Normal University,Beijing,P.R.China)

机构地区：[1]Beijing Normal University,Beijing,P.R.China

出　　处：《World History Studies》2023年第2期1-19,共19页世界史研究（英文版）

基　　金：supported by the"Young Teachers'Development Funding Project of School of History"of Beijing Normal University.

摘　　要：In the early third century A.D.,a rescript of Septimius Severus declared that a woman who procuring an abortion for herself should be sent into temporary exile by the governor The case may be used as a clue to look at the freedom of abortion of women in ancient Rome.Prior to this rescript,Roman women were legally free to have abortions,but they began to be restricted thereafter.Both"freedom"and"restriction"are endowed by males.The purpose of Severus'rescript to punish women who have abortions is to protect the patria potestas(the father's patriarchal rights).And the emergence of the rescript was also a reflection of Roman society's negative attitude to abortion.The Roman Empire was governed on the basis of patria potestas.Legistation,traditional customs and the opinions of the intellectual elite formed a cultural mechanism.Women in this mechanism have the seemingly right to abortion,but the actual free space is very small.On June 24,2022,the Supreme Court of the United States reversed the Roe v.Wade decision in 1973.Anti-abortion forces are on the increase,holding high the banners of religious piety to attack women's freedom.Through research,it can be seen that in the Roman Empire prior to Christianity gained a dominant position in society,the womb of women was also decided by men.What really dominates the concept of abortion opponents today is the patria potestas ideology rooted in Western society for thousands of years.

关 键 词：Ancient Rome Septimius Severus Rescript Freedom for Women ABORTION 

分 类 号：D44[政治法律—政治学]