Kinda related to my abortion rant...
Nov. 22nd, 2003 09:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conuly
There's apparently a feminist community out there which is feminist, but against abortion. And another community formed in opposition to it, claiming that you can't be feminist unless you support "a woman's right to choose". After all, woman's rights would be nowhere today without the abortion movement.
That argument, of course, is very easy to make from one side of the fence. But let's play devil's advocate here, and say abortion is wrong because it's murder, you're killing a human. Now, if you believe that, you're not likely to be apathic on the issue. I mean, by being apathic, you're supporting murder! Now, as it happens, I don't believe abortion (assuming this isn't very late term, viable, etc.) is murder. But if I did, I would most likely do actual work against it. And that's perfectly understandable. Preventing murder is a stronger moral step than preserving the right to choose.
So, I can imagine being a feminist against abortion. And all around me, people are talking about "the right to choose". And I'm sitting there going "but you're choosing to murder your child! MURDER!!!". But of course, that's the fault of both sides, neither sees where the other is coming from. *le sigh*
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Also kinda related (gee, I'm all tangential today) is the issue in India where parents are still going to great lengths to abort female fetuses or to artificially inseminate only male sperm, etc. And of course, this is against the law. At the same time, people are, for various reasons, trying to have smaller families. As we all know, there are quite a few unfortunate young girls who are abandoned as babies there. India is currently trying to crack down on the number of people who do things to determine for sex before birth. Now, my view on this is a bit controversial, but it makes sense to me, so bear with me.
India is overpopulated.
Due to the techniques discussed above, there is a bit of a population disparity among the sexes.
Every female fetus aborted is another girl who won't be abandoned, possibly to starve or at the very least to end up in an orphanage (not a great situation). Or even to just be neglected at home. This is not, of course, a statement that all Indian families do such things, but I assume that if you're testing for sex before birth, you would do such things after birth.
THEREFORE, these techniques used to get boys instead of girls are actually a good thing.
They prevent suffering on the part of young girls, and the disparity between the sexes should eventually help the population of India shrink. And despite what people say about how it "reduces the value of women" or so, I disagree. Less women make women more worthwhile to society... those attitudes are already there, they won't go away that quickly.
But I'm just talking off the top of my head, of course.
That argument, of course, is very easy to make from one side of the fence. But let's play devil's advocate here, and say abortion is wrong because it's murder, you're killing a human. Now, if you believe that, you're not likely to be apathic on the issue. I mean, by being apathic, you're supporting murder! Now, as it happens, I don't believe abortion (assuming this isn't very late term, viable, etc.) is murder. But if I did, I would most likely do actual work against it. And that's perfectly understandable. Preventing murder is a stronger moral step than preserving the right to choose.
So, I can imagine being a feminist against abortion. And all around me, people are talking about "the right to choose". And I'm sitting there going "but you're choosing to murder your child! MURDER!!!". But of course, that's the fault of both sides, neither sees where the other is coming from. *le sigh*
Also kinda related (gee, I'm all tangential today) is the issue in India where parents are still going to great lengths to abort female fetuses or to artificially inseminate only male sperm, etc. And of course, this is against the law. At the same time, people are, for various reasons, trying to have smaller families. As we all know, there are quite a few unfortunate young girls who are abandoned as babies there. India is currently trying to crack down on the number of people who do things to determine for sex before birth. Now, my view on this is a bit controversial, but it makes sense to me, so bear with me.
India is overpopulated.
Due to the techniques discussed above, there is a bit of a population disparity among the sexes.
Every female fetus aborted is another girl who won't be abandoned, possibly to starve or at the very least to end up in an orphanage (not a great situation). Or even to just be neglected at home. This is not, of course, a statement that all Indian families do such things, but I assume that if you're testing for sex before birth, you would do such things after birth.
THEREFORE, these techniques used to get boys instead of girls are actually a good thing.
They prevent suffering on the part of young girls, and the disparity between the sexes should eventually help the population of India shrink. And despite what people say about how it "reduces the value of women" or so, I disagree. Less women make women more worthwhile to society... those attitudes are already there, they won't go away that quickly.
But I'm just talking off the top of my head, of course.
