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America’s Growing Problem: Sex-Selective Abortions
By Denise Burke | July 24, 2008
Emerging evidence suggests that China and India may not be the only countries where sex-selective abortion is commonly practiced. In a video released today, Steven Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute (PRI), argues that America also has a hidden and growing problem with sex-selective abortion, a problem that most pro-abortion and feminist groups refuse to address.
The United Nations has defined sex-selective abortion as the intentional killing of unborn females due to the preference for male offspring (also know as “son preference”). Worldwide, sex selective abortions most commonly occur because of the low value associated with the birth of females who tend to be regarded as more of a financial burden to their families and as a result of various social and legal conventions (such as males carrying on the family name). This “son preference” is one of the most evident manifestations of sex discrimination in many societies, undermining female equality and contributing to the elimination of many females’ very right to exist.
Currently, sex-selective abortion is widely practiced in Asia and other parts of the world, resulting in a statistically improbable ratio of baby boys to baby girls. According to the United Nations, the practice has already claimed the lives of more than 100 million girls worldwide. Moreover, a recent study published by the National Academy of Sciences indicates that many American groups, particularly those of Asian descent, have the same skewed birthrates as found in their country of origin. Apparently, many of the customs and practices that have led to these skewed birthrates in other countries are being imported into the United States and leading to the selective abortion of baby girls here.
Pro-abortion and feminist advocacy groups have largely ignored this problem, prioritizing their support for unregulated abortion-on-demand over addressing this growing and barbaric form of sex discrimination. In fact, their silence on this issue is deafening and very telling as to their true priorities and allegiances.
Conversely, the American public and medical professionals have repeatedly condemned this deplorable practice. In a March 2006 Zogby poll, 86% of Americans agreed that sex-selective abortions should be illegal. Moreover, in February 2007, the Committee on Ethics of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists stated, in an ethics opinion, that sex-selective abortion is inappropriate for family planning purposes.
In response to this growing problem, several countries (including China and Great Britain) have enacted bans on sex-selective abortion. Given the evidence released today, it is clear that we need to do the same and that pro-abortion and feminist groups should be confronted for their continued silence on this critical issue.
Visit the Population Research Institute’s website at www.pop.org
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Topics: Abortion, Planned Parenthood, Sex-selective abortion, international |
