There is no way IMO to justify the female foeticide in India - same goes for killing baby girls in China (1-child-policy) - even if abortion is used to decrease population growth, it is directed at one gender mainly - so a clear case of gender discrimination IMO - not the only one in India <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/puppyeyes.gif" alt="" /> - and same goes for Indira Gandhi's former policy to force females into sterilisation. Force and pressure are intolerable IMO.
Yes, I wish the norms would be challenged here. Gender should not determine if a child is allowed to live or die. Females should not be treated like waste refuse. And if prediagnostic modern methods are used for "gender murder", I question the ethics of these methods highly (or to be exact: the reasons/impact/output of these methods).
Abortion in general => I do think a woman should have the right to choose freely, but in this case, she can't. She is pre-determined by outer social norms, so a victim herself. And I don't like the thought of abortion being a crony of discrimination. [color:"yellow"]I think one should differ between the choice for abortion and the "force" of aborting[/color], as having daughters might cause financial ruin to some East Indian families (besides other points, females are seen as 2nd class e.g.). Kiya
Edit, as I had to leave for work: The point in my case ist this => if a female is pregnant and stands before this difficult decision, she should have a choice - and be encouraged to find her own solution. Outer conditions (social, religious, traditional etc.) should not pre-determine her individual personal self-responsible choice - this goes for either way, abortion or not. In the best case, both parties should be able to decide, as there is still a male part involved when it comes to responsibility, right?
So, the question is => what is the root of this problem? Abortion or tradition, social norms? I think the latter. [color:"yellow"]If norms and tradition start to force people, pre-determine => these norms/traditions should be aborted.[/color] <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/suspicion.gif" alt="" />
Hopefully last edit => I'd think the same if we had a society somewhere propagating male foeticide BTW.
And I wish for societies where preventing unwanted pregnancy is a large part of the health information policy. Where females are not determined by their fertility, where they can use AND afford oral contraceptiva or other methods to prevent pregnancy if they wish. Where aid and encouragement determine the wish for pregnancy and NOT tradition, religion, or whatever norms you can think of. Gee, this really makes mad => a society full of empty rules, keeping the herd together, heads bent - deciding for the individual instead of encouraging an individual to think/decide for her/himself. And then? The outcome is criticized instead of pulling out the root that leads to this outcome. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/memad.gif" alt="" />
