Feminist Approaches to Sex-Selective Reproductive Technologies in the East and West
The use of prenatal diagnostic technologies to detect for sex prior to having a sex-selective abortion (SSA) is a contentious topic amongst feminists, reproductive rights advocates, anti-abortion activists, and anyone concerned with gendered discrimination. As Shivana Jorawar and Miriam Yeung reveal in Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing: The Impact of Sex-selective Abortion Bans on Asian American and Pacific Islander Women, in societies with strong son-preference, such as East Asian countries like China and India, SSA is largely seen as having detrimental effects, contributing to the phenomenon of missing girls (33). While according to Rajani Bhatia in Constructing …show more content…
In Is Sex-Selective Abortion Morally Justified and Should it be Prohibited?, Wendy Rogers, Angela Ballantyne, and Heather Draper argue that SSA reinforces gendered discrimination against women in some specific ways (522). First, they discuss how a society that accepts and encourages SSA views a woman’s value as rooted in her ability to produce sons (Rogers et al. 522). This ties a woman’s worth to her reproductive capabilities. As Rosmarie Tong reveals in Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction, many radical feminists have historically believed that biological difference is the root of sexism (50-51). Some, like Shulamith Firestone, have argued that technology is the solution to ending women’s oppression through it’s potential to erase the link between a woman and her reproductive capabilities (Tong 56). However, it is apparent that when it comes to SSA, technology can actually increase woman’s oppression through strengthening the societal association between a woman and her ability to reproduce in the desired …show more content…
However, even those in favor of such bans have questioned whether these legal restrictions are effective in limiting SSA and combating the root of the problem— gendered discrimination at the systemic level (Rogers et al. 523). Even with bans, SSA will continue as a result of the pervasive discriminatory attitudes towards women in countries like China and India. The bans are important in how they help to combat the message of male superiority that is perpetuated by the acceptance of SSA. However, until greater changes are made that target these sexist attitudes in such societies at large, the problem of SSA and other issues stemming from women’s oppression will continue. In South Korea, the only country that has effectively reduced its sex-ratio imbalance, extensive media campaigns have been launched aimed at changing the pervasive sex-selective practices (Rogers et al. 523). However, these campaigns, warning about the prospect of a shortage of women for men to marry, reinforce the idea of a woman’s worth being tied to her ability to marry and thus produce sons (Rogers et al. 524). Undoubtedly, in addition to restrictive legislation, social campaigns and programs must be aimed at reducing and challenging oppressive notions, rather than capitalizing on them, in order to address discriminatory societal expectations for
The use of prenatal diagnostic technologies to detect for sex prior to having a sex-selective abortion (SSA) is a contentious topic amongst feminists, reproductive rights advocates, anti-abortion activists, and anyone concerned with gendered discrimination. As Shivana Jorawar and Miriam Yeung reveal in Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing: The Impact of Sex-selective Abortion Bans on Asian American and Pacific Islander Women, in societies with strong son-preference, such as East Asian countries like China and India, SSA is largely seen as having detrimental effects, contributing to the phenomenon of missing girls (33). While according to Rajani Bhatia in Constructing …show more content…
In Is Sex-Selective Abortion Morally Justified and Should it be Prohibited?, Wendy Rogers, Angela Ballantyne, and Heather Draper argue that SSA reinforces gendered discrimination against women in some specific ways (522). First, they discuss how a society that accepts and encourages SSA views a woman’s value as rooted in her ability to produce sons (Rogers et al. 522). This ties a woman’s worth to her reproductive capabilities. As Rosmarie Tong reveals in Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction, many radical feminists have historically believed that biological difference is the root of sexism (50-51). Some, like Shulamith Firestone, have argued that technology is the solution to ending women’s oppression through it’s potential to erase the link between a woman and her reproductive capabilities (Tong 56). However, it is apparent that when it comes to SSA, technology can actually increase woman’s oppression through strengthening the societal association between a woman and her ability to reproduce in the desired …show more content…
However, even those in favor of such bans have questioned whether these legal restrictions are effective in limiting SSA and combating the root of the problem— gendered discrimination at the systemic level (Rogers et al. 523). Even with bans, SSA will continue as a result of the pervasive discriminatory attitudes towards women in countries like China and India. The bans are important in how they help to combat the message of male superiority that is perpetuated by the acceptance of SSA. However, until greater changes are made that target these sexist attitudes in such societies at large, the problem of SSA and other issues stemming from women’s oppression will continue. In South Korea, the only country that has effectively reduced its sex-ratio imbalance, extensive media campaigns have been launched aimed at changing the pervasive sex-selective practices (Rogers et al. 523). However, these campaigns, warning about the prospect of a shortage of women for men to marry, reinforce the idea of a woman’s worth being tied to her ability to marry and thus produce sons (Rogers et al. 524). Undoubtedly, in addition to restrictive legislation, social campaigns and programs must be aimed at reducing and challenging oppressive notions, rather than capitalizing on them, in order to address discriminatory societal expectations for