Parallels between sex-selective abortions and selective terminations

Taken together, this story and the accompanying letter to the editor present a parallel to prenatally diagnosed disabilities and termination.

First, the story:

India tries to stop sex-selective abortions. New York Times. Link here.

"Last year, a study by The Lancet, the British medical journal, reported that up to 500,000 female fetuses are aborted each year in India, leading to the birth of nearly 10 million fewer girls over the past two decades. Experts say that sex-selective abortions in India reduced the number of girls per 1,000 boys from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001."

Now, the letter. Link here.

"India’s latest proposal to stop sex-selective abortion regrettably overlooks a root cause of the discriminatory practice ... Until the Indian government adopts and enforces laws and policies that promote education for women, eliminate discrimination in the family and the community, and ensure women’s access to safe reproductive health services, it will continue to disempower its women."

To connect the dots: In societies in which people with disabilities are not being provided with adequate education, health care and other needed services, couples look to termination to avoid personal heartache. The net effect is a practice that continues to foster discriminatory attitudes against a historically stigmatized group.