Very skewed viewpoint, with lots of errors in historical viewpoint.

It was very frowned upon to kill a child. People were lynched or killed outright for killing a child or baby.

Not saying it didn't happen, but life was considered a lot more precious before the "modern age". Even now, there are a lot of people that don't believe that way.p

Having Said that, life was also hard. Before technology, as you say, it was a big deal to have large families. It wasn't out of ignorance, or some bizarre lack of enlightenment as some people today believe. Hubris is a bitch.

It was necessity.

Families had 10 kids because only 4 made it to adulthood. Miscarriages were common, kids died of pnemonia, strep, measles, you name it. More kids meant more help on the farm, meant better odds of the family name surviving, meant better chances for boys to carry on.

It is also a very narrow view that abortion was the solution for unwanted pregnancies. It is a recent contrivance to think that way.

If you had an unwanted child, you were most often sent to stay with distant relatives until you could give to a convent or orphanage, or could bring back as a surprise "little sister" of your mother's. Today they make jokes about this in TV and movies, but that really happened. Sure it was more about appearances back then, and many families today don't care for elaborate schemes, don't think it necessary anymore. But at least in those days it was more important a child lived than killing it.

Remember too, abortions back then consisted of jabbing a woman inside with a coat hanger, puncturing the amniotic sack. More women died of internal bleeding that survived an abortion. Either that or they had severe internal damage, and problems the rest of their lives.