N
Nara
Guest
Folks,
The issue of woman's reproductive rights is not simple. It is not cut and dried. There are many nuances that must be carefully balanced. Here is a story that illustrates how vexing this issue is.
In March of 2009, a mentally retarded girl became pregnant after she was raped by the security guards of a government institution in Punjab, where the girl was living. People argued back and forth about terminating the pregnancy. A mental health evaluation was done and the girl was diagnosed as "mildly" mentally retarded. The lower court ruled that the pregnancy be terminated and the supreme court allowed the girl to continue it. Nobody bothered to ask the girl what she would like, or if they asked there is no report of it. Click here for the article.
In India, abortions are legal only in the first trimester, unless there are other extenuating circumstance such as rape or health of the mother. There are strict guidelines to be followed and only approved facilities can offer this service. Yet, the despicable practice of abortion for gender preference is supposed to be common. See this Washington Post article.
IMO, a woman feeling the need, or being urged, to terminate a female fetus is worthy of much more outrage than the choice of a woman to abort an unwanted zygote even if she did not want her man to wear condom for the feel of it. The same male-domination mind-set that drives women to abort female fetuses condemns the very thought of a woman having a little pleasure. The moral police ought to first do some self-critical analysis about the reasons for this abomination of abortion based on gender preference.
Moral police like to simplify the issue into stark moral contrasts -- having carefree fun and then killing or murdering the result, abortion on demand, fetus is not feces, and other such incendiary terminology. But the reality is, the issue has many shades of gray. Nobody advocates quickie DNC or some such thing, that is just straw man. The issue is respecting women, respecting a woman's ability to make an informed choice, and the rights and duties of medical professionals. In this context, I present to you an article on the ethical issues medical professionals face in this regard. Click here for it.
It is possible to discuss this vexing issue without descending into the name-calling gutter. If there is interest among the thoughtful folks of this forum, I invite them to discuss this further.
Cheers!
The issue of woman's reproductive rights is not simple. It is not cut and dried. There are many nuances that must be carefully balanced. Here is a story that illustrates how vexing this issue is.
In March of 2009, a mentally retarded girl became pregnant after she was raped by the security guards of a government institution in Punjab, where the girl was living. People argued back and forth about terminating the pregnancy. A mental health evaluation was done and the girl was diagnosed as "mildly" mentally retarded. The lower court ruled that the pregnancy be terminated and the supreme court allowed the girl to continue it. Nobody bothered to ask the girl what she would like, or if they asked there is no report of it. Click here for the article.
In India, abortions are legal only in the first trimester, unless there are other extenuating circumstance such as rape or health of the mother. There are strict guidelines to be followed and only approved facilities can offer this service. Yet, the despicable practice of abortion for gender preference is supposed to be common. See this Washington Post article.
IMO, a woman feeling the need, or being urged, to terminate a female fetus is worthy of much more outrage than the choice of a woman to abort an unwanted zygote even if she did not want her man to wear condom for the feel of it. The same male-domination mind-set that drives women to abort female fetuses condemns the very thought of a woman having a little pleasure. The moral police ought to first do some self-critical analysis about the reasons for this abomination of abortion based on gender preference.
Moral police like to simplify the issue into stark moral contrasts -- having carefree fun and then killing or murdering the result, abortion on demand, fetus is not feces, and other such incendiary terminology. But the reality is, the issue has many shades of gray. Nobody advocates quickie DNC or some such thing, that is just straw man. The issue is respecting women, respecting a woman's ability to make an informed choice, and the rights and duties of medical professionals. In this context, I present to you an article on the ethical issues medical professionals face in this regard. Click here for it.
It is possible to discuss this vexing issue without descending into the name-calling gutter. If there is interest among the thoughtful folks of this forum, I invite them to discuss this further.
Cheers!
