by Dr Robert W Malone, Malone News
Ancient history, modern medicine, and the constitutional question facing Virginia voters
The Babies in the Drain
In 1988, archaeologists made a horrifying discovery beneath an ancient Roman bathhouse in Ashkelon, a coastal city in what is now Israel. Buried in a sewer drain were the bones of nearly 100 newborn babies. The remains dated to the fourth century AD, and researchers suspected that the infants had been discarded shortly after birth.
Years later, DNA testing identified fourteen boys and five girls among nineteen infants whose sex could be determined. Why so many boys? Nobody knows. Some researchers suggested the building had operated as a brothel, but that interpretation is disputed. There is no reliable evidence establishing why the infants ended up in the drain, who was responsible, or whether they were deliberately killed.
Infanticide was not unique to Ashkelon. Historical records from Greece, Rome, and other civilizations describe newborns being killed or abandoned, sometimes with the approval of prevailing laws and customs. Poverty, disability, inheritance, family circumstances, and cultural beliefs all played a role. The spread of Judaism and later Christianity helped change these attitudes by emphasizing the sanctity of human life and the obligation to protect even the most vulnerable children.
Which brings us to Virginia in 2026.