Monday, January 17, 2011

Sec-Selective Abortions and Feminism

This post was originally written for The Abortion Gang.


Anti-choicers are always trying to trick pro-choicers into saying something that makes them look bad. One such example is when anti-choicers bring up sex-selective abortions. “If you support girls/women, how can you support sex-selective abortions!?!” they ask (Don’t get me started on the fact that you cannot abort a woman. Physically impossible). They don’t ask these questions because they’re interested in reducing sex-selective abortions; they’re just interested in making pro-choicers seem coldhearted.

But what if they did want to reduce sex-selective abortions? How would they go about doing that? Pro-choice, of course, already has the answer: Feminism.

Sex-selective abortions happen because the pregnant woman’s culture favors one sex over the other- usually, male over female*. For instance, in China, families will abort a female fetus or abandon a female infant because they want a male infant. Males stay with the family, and carry on the family name while females are married off to another family and basically lose their birth family. For this reason, males are valued higher than females. And for this reason, sex- selective abortions occur.

This is where feminism comes in. Feminism says that both sexes are equal in value and worth. Men and women, with their differences and similarities, are not better than one another but standing on an equal plane. If feminist ideas were to become culturally normal, sex-selective abortions would not occur. Families would value and appreciate a fetus they wanted regardless of its sex. Not only would this apply to fetuses, but to children as well; families would be just as glad to have a daughter as they would be to have a son.

On top of that, feminism would give the opinions of women equal weight to men. Who knows- maybe women in China and other countries don’t want to have sex selective abortions, but their culture pressures them into that decision? Supporting feminism would support women who choose to not have a sex-selective abortion.

So next time an anti-choicer asks you what you think of sex-selective abortions, ask them right back: “What are you doing to prevent sex-selection?” Then ask them to support feminism, so that males and females will be valued equally.

* I understand there are other situations involved such as intersex –this post is a simple overview. I welcome others to write about the issues of feminism, sex-selection and intersex.

11 comments:

  1. In no regard to your blog. But, I had just one question.
    You claim yourself to be a Christian, correct? Atleast it says so in your "define me" box.
    If you claim to be a Christian, no offense...that's hypocritical. Bible clearly states that abortion is WRONG.
    Need proof?
    Proverbs 24: 11-12 – “Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die. Don’t try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn’t know about it. For God knows all hearts and he sees you. He keeps watch over your souls, and he knows you know. And he will judge all people according to what they have done.”
    Psalm 51:5 – “I was born a sinner – yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.”
    Jeremiah 1:5 – “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.”
    Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers? (Job 31:15).

    There's plenty more.
    Just thought I'd let you know.
    So, please. For the sake of all Christians who live by the Word of God and apply it to our lives, change it on your profile. God doesn't like hypocrites.

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  2. I would really prefer that comments be related to the post at hand. I have a number of posts here that are related to Christianity and being prochoice. I know a least one of them shows why the verses you used are not related to abortion at all.

    I will continue to write as a Christian, because I am a Christian.

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  3. Do you also believe that abortionist Gosnell is a Christian?

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  4. I have not heard his religious claims, but I doubt he is a Christian.

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  5. No one should doubt that you are Christian but it's ok for you to doubt if someone else is Christian? What if abortionist Gosnell calls himself a Christian, would this automatically make him one? Hitler called himself a Christian, did that make him one?

    Gosnell and Hitler both supported the same choice you do.

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  6. To the anon above, she never told you not to doubt that she's a Christian. Learn to read.

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  7. She continues to proclaim she is a Christian but cannot back it up when asked about it.

    She's not a Christian but it makes her feel better to claim to be one.

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  8. You know, considering how many supposed Christians there are commenting on this, there's an awful lot of judging going on...

    1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
    2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
    - Mk. 4.24

    I didn't realise that you were all so qualified to decide who was Christian and who was not. As far as I'm aware, that's God's job.

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  9. Thank you for this! Michelle Goldberg has a fantastic chapter in her book "The Means of Reproduction" all about sex-selective abortion, which I didn't know about before reading it- going into serious detail about what drives Indian women/couples/families to employ sex-selective abortion (basically, it boils down to how financially oppressive having a daughter is, thanks to how marriage, weddings, and dowries/gifts work in the culture).

    Sex-selective abortions are illegal in India, but that doesn't stop them from happening at all- like you point out, the only thing that will change the supply is to change the demand, and that happens by removing what causes parents to want boys and not want girls.

    And sorry some of these other commenters are being such douchebags. It's always such a revelation when I- a proud atheist- am one of the few non-judgmental folks in a Christian setting.

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  10. Sex selective abortions are no more wrong than economics selective abortions, or convenience selective abortions. In all cases, some youngster gets killed by its mother because of not being wanted, for one reason or another. If the reason is not to save the life of the mother, it's an act of convenience or preference.

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  11. Gotta love so-called Christians who JUDGE others. Thank GOD people like that aren't the ones who decide who is and who isn't a Christian.

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