On the non-identification of persons. A brief and reflective introduction to the anthropology of abortion, from antiquity to the present day

Tomasz Rowiński

doi:10.37873/er8x6g98

On the non-identification of persons. A brief and reflective introduction to the anthropology of abortion, from antiquity to the present day

Tomasz Rowiński

Ordo Iuris Institute

Publication:

Protection of human life at the prenatal stage of development: Social, medical and legal aspects

Series: Ordo Iuris Library

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37873/rh1tpy75

Keywords: protection of human life, prenatal stage of development, abortion, conceived child, right to life, contraceptives, maternal mortality, mental health complications of abortion, constitutional standards of protection of life, family planning act

Published: June 17, 2026

The chapter examines whether consent to abortion in Western civilization results from an intellectual error or a moral error subjected to secondary rationalization. It introduces superstition as a misconception about reality retained in circulation for its usefulness and, as a distortion of reality, a vehicle of violence; here it falsifies the concept of humanity applied to the unborn.

The chapter traces European thought's emancipation from ancient superstitions about foetal life, including Christian engagement with the ambiguous Platonic and Aristotelian legacy, which both supported killing the unborn and enabled the construction of an integral ethics. It further examines the modern crisis marked by the parallel development of integral ethics and a revolt against the inviolability of life from conception.

The material situates present-day utilitarian and integral ethical positions within their intellectual history.

Tomasz Rowiński, Ordo Iuris Institute

Sociologist and historian of ideas, editor of the magazine Christianitas and the portal Afirmacja, columnist for the weekly Do Rzeczy and Radio PiK. A columnist for the magazine Homo Dei. In the past, associated with various press and Internet titles, including the periodicals Res Publica Nowa and Fronda. Graduate of the Institute of Applied Social Sciences at Warsaw University, where he specialized in the history of political and social thought. Author of books, he has published, among others, Dante’s Bastards. Sketches on the Decline and Rebirth of Visible Christianity (2015), Kingdom Not of This World. On the principles of Catholic Poland on the basis of more recent and past events (2018), Turbopapietism. On the dynamics of a certain crisis (2022), Anachronistic modernity. Essays on the civilization of violence (2022).

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How to Cite

Rowiński, T. (2026) “On the non-identification of persons. A brief and reflective introduction to the anthropology of abortion, from antiquity to the present day”, in Kwaśniewski, J. (ed.) Protection of human life at the prenatal stage of development: Social, medical and legal aspects. Warszawa: Ordo Iuris Institute for Legal Culture - Scientific Press (Ordo Iuris Library). doi:10.37873/rh1tpy75.