"I don't think this is what you are saying, Backwoodsman, but there was a time, not too long ago, when a woman in labor could be 'sacrificed' when the babe went into difficulties."

Never heard that here Ebbie, maybe it's different on your side of the pond (and at your latitude!). When my first wife was giving birth to our No. 1 son in 1980, and there were quite severe complications, the doctor in attendance told me, "We never risk the life of the mother", which I took to mean that, if the chips were down, it was bye-bye to the baby.

And you're right, it wasn't what I meant - I was speaking specifically about parental decisions rather than those of the medical profession. Seems to me that the preservation of a child's life should be paramount, until the child is old enough to make its own decision - i.e. when he/she reaches the age of majority.

That's the way I feel.