For let no one make a mistake. There is a sin of illegitimacy, which,
indeed, I would emphasize as strongly as I am able. Irresponsible
parenthood must always be immoral, and the mother's sin is greater than
is that of the father. I must insist upon this, though I realize how
unpopular such a view will be to many women. But the mother, through her
closer connection with the child, must bear the deeper responsibility
for its birth, a responsibility that can be traced back and back to the
very lowest forms of life. The insect mother does not fail to place her
offspring--the children she will never see--in a position chosen most
carefully to ensure their future protection, and to achieve this good
frequently she sacrifices her life. Shall the human mother, then, be
held guiltless when she shows no forethought for the future of her
child?