Missing Girls
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 06/13/2007 at 11:11 AM
Today's top story on Fox News made my heart sick. The article reports that infanticide and abortion are responsible for 60 million girls missing in Asia. These missing girls — primarily in China and India — are creating a gender imbalance that is contributing to a social crisis. A normal sex ratio at birth (SRB) is between 103 and 105 males per 100 females; in China, make that 130 males to 100 females.
"Twenty-five million men in China currently can't find brides because there is a shortage of women," said Steven Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute in Washington, D.C. "The young men emigrate overseas to find brides."
The imbalances are also giving rise to a commercial sex trade; the 2005 report states that up to 800,000 people being trafficked across borders each year, and as many as 80 percent are women and girls, most of whom are exploited.
Mosher blames the problem on China's one-child policy, instituted in 1979.
The policy encourages late marrying and late childbearing, and it limits the majority of urban couples to having one child and most of those living in rural areas to two. Female infanticide was the result, he said.
"Historically infanticide was something that was practiced in poor places in China," Mosher said. "But when the one-child policy came into effect we began to see in the wealthy areas of China, what had never been done before in history — the killing of little girls."
Is your stomach turning? Mine too. What I find interesting is the response to this "prejudicial abortion." The United States sponsored a resolution at the U.N.'s Commission on the Status of Women that called for eliminating infanticide and gender selection (the resolution was withdrawn because of opposition). And Indian state governments have launched "Save the Girl Child" and other similar campaigns. These initiatives recognize that Asia's abortion problem displays a deep and egregious prejudice against women.
Because the situation in Asia is becoming a critical social problem (which it's interesting to note is leading to other grievous evils, such as an increase in the sex trade), prejudicial abortion is being brought to light as evil. Of course it's evil to kill 60 million little girls! The thing is, abortion is always prejudicial. Randy Alcorn refers to it as "ageism" and "sizeism." No matter the sex of the child, or its abilities/disabilities, abortion is a crime of prejudice against a human being. The headline "60 Million Missing Girls" simply shows the consequences of a rampant social and spiritual problem that is present in every culture.
China has resolved to keep its one-child policy in place until 2050. "The implications are potentially disastrous," Mosher said.
Things do not end well for societies that kill their children. We should all take heed.
1. kman said the following at 12:42 PM on Jun 13:
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I think if I was in one of these guys in China, I'd be steamed, not just from the moral aspect, but from the practical side.
And the thought of a mostly masculine population...no thanks. We need the feminine side of life to make it more liveable.
2. Cath said the following at 1:07 PM on Jun 13:
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Excellent article, Suzanne!
Your points and the points of Mr. Mosher do much to show the evil of the current Chinese birth policy- not so we can be anti-Chinese, but so we can be informed! I lived in Taiwan for a year and saw with my own eyes the subtle but real preferential treatment of boys again and again. I -know- that God can have mercy on this situation so I pray that they and we will come to repentance somehow...
3. xeres said the following at 1:32 PM on Jun 13:
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good post suzanne. This post reveals how important it is to change how we value people as well as to see how deadly entitlement can be in the long run.
4. Carrie said the following at 2:08 PM on Jun 13:
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I spent 3 1/2 months in China a few years back. There is very much a social stigma that works against females. In folklore they are considered "small happiness". Parents want to be taken care of in their old age and if their daughter gets married, she would have to take care of her husband's parents rather than her own. Since they are only allowed one child, it would only be "natural" (forgive the mordidity of that term) to want a son. It seems like a twisted way of thinking on this side of the ocean, that's for sure.
5. Drian said the following at 2:23 PM on Jun 13:
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:( Wow, how obvious can it be that abortion is soo wrong. Praying for this terrible situation in Asia as well as around the world where even in our country abortion is a big issue.
6. cn said the following at 3:03 PM on Jun 13:
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yet again, another example of how the feminist solution actually causes more harm to women.
i've read a similar article before that focuses more around this situation in india. the author shows a direct link between female feticide and rape. this is truely heart breaking.
7. Sydney B said the following at 3:58 PM on Jun 13:
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cn,
would you mind elaborating on how the feminist solution has caused the one child policy in China? I'm failing to follow the logic. Also, if you have the link to the other article that might be helpful, as I don't understand how female feticide and rape are correlated.
thanks
8. Tomi said the following at 5:49 PM on Jun 13:
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cn, could you please elaborate and name some "other" examples of feminist solutions actually causing more harm to women?
That whole situation in China is really sad. I heard a news story on NPR about how young women from rural China are moving to the big cities. They, unlike their educated city counterparts know absolutely nothing about sex, and even less about birth control. Some of these uneducated young women become pregnant and have abortions, only to become pregnant 4-5 more times and have more abortions, because the concept of birth control is so foreign to them, and some don't really understand that they can refuse to consent to sex in the first place. This problem is compounded because single motherhood is taboo and very rare.
9. Mandi said the following at 6:43 PM on Jun 13:
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Sickening and heart-breaking!
Interestingly, these communities have brought their "prejudicial abortion" practices to Canada, in a big way (and likely other countries too). Very disturbing that this is so widespread here too.
Sydney B -- feminists fought for the "right" to de-humanize the unborn and kill them. China's policy's just a logical conclusion or consequence of that.
10. cn said the following at 6:49 PM on Jun 13:
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the connection was not in the one child only policy but rather that the social acceptance of abortion as a means for liberating women has now become a tool to further oppress women.
the article i read was in a 'secular' magazine... i did a quick google but i could not find an online copy. i'll keep looking and post a link if i find it. If my memory is correct, the author explained that in india there has been an increase of rape (or at least reported rape) as the numbers of women decline from the female feticide issue. Not only is it about the decreased number of women (which means a decreased number of wives) but also about the disposability of women. If a female child is not valued, what is the point in valuing a female adult? the article also mentioned selling wives after they have birthed several sons because the demand is so high for women. If she's given birth to son's her monitary value is increased.
Some parts of the country have made ultra sounds illegal so the sex will not be known until the baby is born, but some clinics provide this service anyhow. another point the author brought up is the differnce in medical care that male children recieve as opposed to female. she mentioned visiting one house hold that had a newborn daughter several days old still cover in her amniotic fluid because the family had not even cared enought to clean her.
So basically this disvalue of women to the point that they are murdered before birth, or shortly after, perpetuates the idea that women are of non-value and minimal use.
11. k. said the following at 7:33 PM on Jun 13:
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I believe that historically, China has placed a higher value on having boys than girls. (As have many other nations; China's hardly alone in this.) Hopefully, a shortage of women will lead them to rethink this strategy. It's a little difficult to have a healthy society without us!
I'm not sure I would say that all abortions are necessarily prejudicial, btw...especially if you're using that word in the sense of an irrational or unfounded dislike of a person based on their race/gender/ethnicity/etc. Abortion's a complicated issue, and reducing it to prejudice, ageism or sizeism is a little simplistic.
12. Loris said the following at 8:11 AM on Jun 14:
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Carrie, I grew up in Taiwan, and the cultural preference for boys is very natural if you consider that the parents expect their children to worship them after death and appease their spirits. Girl children cannot carry out this function; the duty falls on the oldest son. There is a Chinese saying that "girls are born facing outward." This means that they never belong to their birth families, but only to the family of their husband. They are ignored by their parents while growing up in favor of their brothers (while still expected to succeed) and after marriage, kicked around by their mothers in law. There is another Chinese saying that having a girl is like pouring water out on the ground. In other words, useless.
13. Caitlin said the following at 10:30 AM on Jun 14:
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They seem to forget that they can't have more boys if they don't have enough woman to marry.
If the government keeps the one-child policy in place until 2050, I wouldn't be surprised if China's population decreases rapidly.
14. Lindsey said the following at 7:42 AM on Jun 15:
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I think the practices going on in China now and for the past 20 some odd years are heart wrenching and detestable. But, I think everyone keeps focusing on how terrible CHINA is for allowing this to happen. How could people feel OK about killing a baby just because it is female? BUT, the US is well on its way to something just as bad. I have heard too much talk lately about "custom-made babies" and how advanced technology can let parents know if their baby might have any defects so they can terminate the pregnancy if they don't want a special needs child. So, if more American parents want blonde haired, blue eyed, genius children, and medical advances allow them to do so, then in 20 or 30 years, where are all the brown eyed average kids going to be? I know that hair and eye color don't seem to be as important as killing off an entire gender, but the point is, that if WE as humans are put in charge of life and death and human characteristics.....our country has no hope but to come to ruin. So, yes, China needs to change policies. But, if we are going to point fingers, we should start with the US.
15. Maggi said the following at 2:15 PM on Jun 15:
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cn: I'd like the magazine's info then I could look it up at the library or perhaps on the library database of magazine articles.
And it is ironic that "abortion as a means for liberating women has now become a tool to further oppress women." Big surprise.
Thanks.
Lindsey: There was an article on Boundless about this last month. DISTRESS THAT KILLS by Roberto Rivera y Carlo, May 24th, 2007.
16. Maggi said the following at 2:24 PM on Jun 15:
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A friend who told me 2 1/2 years ago about an interview on public television with a Chinese official who said the plan for China was to take over India with their army of surplus males. I haven't been able to find a transcript of that interview.
Did anyone else hear that?
17. chloe said the following at 5:05 PM on Mar 19:
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I babysit two beautiful chinese girls adopted from China. I have seen the videos of their adoption in china the pictures of the other girls adopted in the same group. God opened these wonderful peoples eyes to the terrible gendercide going on right now in china. The mother of the girls has told me that the chinese orphanages are compleatly filled with baby girls. Something needs to be done, not every baby has a chance to be adopted and without this they have no change at a better life. I have a plea for something to be done, adopt! adopt the beautiful baby girls save them from a life none of us will ever have to know.
18. Maggi Ann said the following at 5:22 PM on May 1:
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I think what the Chinese need to do is consider polygamy with women being allowed to have 2 or 3 husbands. No genetic testing to determine fatherhood would be allowed; it could only be done for purposes of treatment of illness or the like. Each woman could be permitted to have only one boy and one girl.
I know there might be less likely hood of this happening than of there being a change of attitude toward girls, but with population problems looming, it may be the necessity in the future. If you want to control population, it makes more sense to limit the men, who could theoretically impregnate an incredible number of women. At least women can only have approximatly one child a year.
Lordy, it's nuts to have to be even talking about it! but here we are.
19. ptschett said the following at 6:48 PM on May 1:
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Maggi Ann: http://www.amazon.com/Moon-Harsh-Mistress-Robert-Heinlein/dp/0312863551/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209688631&sr=8-1>Someone already thought of that (without the birth restrictions though...)
20. Richard said the following at 2:37 PM on Aug 9:
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Here in British Columbia, the doctors are no longer allowed to reveal the sex of the baby so to prevent sex selected abortions. At least that is what I was told by several people who have gone to have an ultrasound, though, I cannot for sure verify that.