| The fertility crisis during the transition from the ancient Roman Republic to the Empire prompted imperial rulers to formulate fertility policies to guide and regulate reproductive behavior.The imperial government,while promoting policies that encouraged marriage,standardized reproduction,and supported child-rearing,achieved state power penetration into family management by controlling reproductive authority.This both limited the jurisdiction of parental authority and established the emperor’s benevolence and authority as the nurturing father of the nation.The Augustus Marriage Law,Lex Julia de adulteriis,the prohibition of soldiers’ marriages,and the birth supervision registration system were attempts to encourage and regulate fertility.Subsequent emperors’ inheritance of the principle of “jus liberorum” and provisions for child-rearing funds were continuations and applications of Augustus’ fertility policies.The “alimenta”,which manifested during the time of Augustus,began to take shape during the Nerva era and was formally established in the Trajan era,can be regarded as a welfare policy reflecting the role of state funding in supporting child-rearing.The policy changes concerning abortion,abandonment,and adoption illustrate the measures taken by the empire under different historical contexts to limit the phenomena of rejecting births and abandoning children.The focus of imperial fertility policies gradually shifted from elites to the impoverished,from birth to child-rearing,and from wielding coercive measures to implementing welfare programs and protecting children’s interests,signifying a progressive moderation and advancement in policy and thought. |
