Infanticide and A Broken Nation

Is there ever a reason for infanticide? While discussing Cultural Relativism in a moral issues class we used the Eskimo's practice of infanticide as a culture to study. In the West, we can usually agree that killing an innocent person is murder. However, the Eskimos argue that they practice infanticide as a way of survival. Most often, it is baby girls who are killed. It has been observed that the reason for this is that boys grow into men who become the providers for their families. When a mother has a daughter, but is in need of a "provider", she will kill her infant child as to avoid any economic strain. We are quick to suggest other opportunities, but we must remember that these people are out in Alaska. Do not mistaken this as an attempt to justify infanticide, but only an effort to view it from many sides. Some might ask why they just don't move, but if they weren't already in economic distress they claim they wouldn't practice infanticide. My thoughts are why don't they simply teach the women how to be providers? With this in mind, there would be no need to kill off the infant girls. It should be noted that the Eskimos also leave the elderly, whom they claim are no longer productive, out in the snow and ice to die as to avoid supporting them. In today's day and age, this seems psychotic. As for the topic at hand, there is such a thing as adoption. The excuse might be posed that Alaska is too isolated and semi-primitive, but now there are international adoption agencies. I cannot imagine that a woman would rather murder her child than allow a couple who is willing to care for it have it. Do the Eskimos continue to be so ignorant to think that a woman cannopt help herself? Do the continue to believe that a woman must depend upon a man for her survival? Are we, as the most powerful country, allowing our citizens to murder innocent, defenseless children?

While I acknowledge the importance of foreign affairs, I think we often fail to acknowledge the necessity of helping repair ourselves from within. There are many domestic issues that we either don't recognize or pretend don't exist. How can we impose our ways when we are so broken?