--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dread not infanticide; the crime is…" description: "\"Dread not infanticide; the crime is imaginary: we are always mistress of what we carry in our womb, and we do no more harm in destroying this kind of m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/marquis-de-sade-1964_crime_dread-not-infanticide-the-crime-is-imagi_689454.jpg" --- # Dread not infanticide; the crime is imaginary: we are… ![“Dread not infanticide; the crime is imaginary: we are always mistress of what we carry in our womb, and we do no more harm in destroying this kind of matter than in evacuating another, by medicines, when we feel the need.” quote by Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/marquis-de-sade-1964_crime_dread-not-infanticide-the-crime-is-imagi_689454.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/marquis-de-sade-1964_crime_dread-not-infanticide-the-crime-is-imagi_689454.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/marquis-de-sade-1964_crime_dread-not-infanticide-the-crime-is-imagi_689454.jpg) > “Dread not infanticide; the crime is imaginary: we are always mistress of what we carry in our womb, and we do no more harm in destroying this kind of matter than in evacuating another, by medicines, when we feel the need.” [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imaginary crimes like abortion are not harmful; they are merely the removal of potential life, comparable to medical procedures. **In simple terms:** Abortion is not a crime; it's a medical act. Key Takeaway Consider the moral nuance. Themes ethics biology human rights Mood provocative controversial Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - healthcare decisions - legal debates - personal morality - public policy Key Concepts philosophy medical ethics Questions to Reflect On - Is potential life equivalent to actual life? - How should society balance bodily autonomy and potential life? A Different Perspective The view disregards the moral status of potential life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Harm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harm/) [Infanticide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infanticide/) [Medical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Mistress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistress/) [Womb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/womb/) ## Related quotes > [One of the worst elements of Obama's career, which no one talks about, is that he voted twice for a bill that said, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/one-of-the-worst-elements-of-obama-s-career-which-no-one-talks-about/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [Life once conceived, must be protected with the utmost care; abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/life-once-conceived-must-be-protected-with-the-utmost-care-abortion/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [. . . nothing could be more grotesquely unjust than a code of morals, reinforced by laws, which relieves men from responsibility for irregular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-la-follette/nothing-could-be-more-grotesquely-unjust-than-a-code-of-morals/) [Suzanne La Follette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-la-follette/) > [If man is not made in the image of God, nothing then stands in the way of inhumanity. 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