Sex Selection Abortion

 

Pro-choice activists have hard time condemning sex selection abortions

By Sarah Terzo
Editor’s note. This first appeared at Ms. Terzo’s blog.

Mara Hvistendahl, author of “Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men”

Abortion rights groups are put in a difficult position by sex-selection abortions. They have said for years that a woman’s decision to abort is no one’s business but her own, and that no one should ever interfere with women’s choices to have abortions, but now, abortion is being used as weapon against baby girls, causing a huge gender imbalance in some countries. From an author who wrote a book on sex selection abortions in China, India and other countries[1]:

“After decades of fighting for a woman’s right to choose the outcome of her own pregnancy, it is difficult to turn around and point out that women are abusing that right…”

From one pro-choice activist:

“We have had a challenge making sure that when we communicate we are able to preserve women’s right to abortion but at the same time say that sex selection on the basis of the gender of the future child is incorrect because it amounts to discrimination. How do you hold onto this discrimination tag and at the same time talk about safe abortion and access to it? It’s been a huge challenge for us – we are walking a tightrope.”

[1] Mara Hvistendahl “Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men” (New York: Public Affairs, 2011) 150


Source: NRLC News