Death without Weeping Essay Example
Death without Weeping Essay Example

Death without Weeping Essay Example

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Chronic child sickness can be classified into two types: chronic and acute. Infants with chronic child sickness exhibit signs of weakness and malnourishment, displaying extreme lethargy and lack of vitality. These infants differ from normal infants as they seldom cry and have a weak sucking reflex.

Infants with chronic child sickness may exhibit these behaviors either shortly after birth or later in childhood. This happens when they become more susceptible to common illnesses that at-risk infants are prone to, like respiratory infections, stomach issues, or fevers. These children may have a weakened immune system against these common infections, making them even more vulnerable. On the other hand, infants with acute child sickness experience sudden and violent death.

Infants who suffer from convulsions often experience head injuries or make loud, piercin

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g sounds, causing despair for their parents. If these infants start foaming at the mouth or grinding their teeth, they are frequently abandoned and left to die naturally. Anthropologist Marvin Harris coined the term "passive infanticide" to describe this negligent behavior. Alto do Cruzeiro, also known as Crucifix Hill, a shantytown, has a high infant mortality rate.

Mothers in this impoverished town deal with the loss of a child by staying composed and detaching themselves emotionally. Only infants who are considered strong and healthy receive care, while those showing weakness or illness are left to die from neglect. This practice, known as passive infanticide, lets nature determine the destiny of the baby. It is often viewed as a survival tactic for mothers trying to provide and raise a child in these difficult circumstances.

The Catholic Church's lack of emotional involvemen

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and indifference towards the deaths of children aged five and under contributes to their high mortality rate. This indifference arises from priests being caught in a double bind, as they must follow the Church's strict opposition to abortion, sterilization, and birth control – methods that some groups believe are essential for preventing families from sinking further into poverty.

The priests of the town recognize the significance of this matter but decide not to intervene and instead prefer to avoid talking about it. The priest of Bom Jesus da Mata church states that the choice to use family planning methods is up to his parishioners. Currently, churches in the shantytown of Alto no longer hold ceremonies for infant or child deaths. Padre Marcos emphasizes that the new church symbolizes "hope and joy" and therefore no longer commemorates children's deaths.

The baptism customs have also evolved. Nowadays, Churches decline to perform baptism ceremonies for infants who are dying or on the verge of death. Instead, mothers who bring dying infants to church to be baptized are reprimanded and advised to prioritize the care of their other children. Consequently, the mothers of Alto town are deprived of certain consolations offered by the Catholic Church because their repeated pleas for their child's baptism have been consistently turned down.

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