Relatively speaking, life in the modern world is better than it was for 99 percent of the people who have ever lived. For instance, we don’t have to suffer cold in the winter because we have indoor heat. Likewise, we can remain comfortably cool in the summer with the use of air conditioning.

The truth is that we have so many creature comforts that we take them for granted.

Modern medicine also provides many benefits that people didn’t have in the past. For example, if you have pneumonia, antibiotics can save your life.

If you’re suffering a heart attack, the safest place to be is in an emergency room with people who are trained in modern procedures to limit damage to the heart. In the last 50 years, deaths from heart attacks have declined dramatically because of these advances.

Over time, women have worked to assert greater control over their bodies. After all, a woman who becomes pregnant at a young age faces choices that will affect the rest of her life.

Today, most women seek to delay pregnancy until they are more mature and have the financial resources to properly care for a child.