Despite the progress in social justice, several nations still permit and practice a frequent type of gender discrimination nowadays. Cultural, racial, and national barriers are all impacted by prenatal sex discrimination. Through sex-selected abortions it is carried out with impunity in many nations. Abortion for an unborn kid exclusively based on the child’s sex is referred to as sex-selected abortion (Vaughn, 2020). Such actions are not ethically justifiable in any manner since they represent discrimination against the unique human being based only on gender. India is one of the Southeast Asian nations where this problem is particularly serious. According to a case study, prenatal selection and selective abortion result in more than 500,000 newborns dying annually (Vaughn, 2020). According to the available data, sex-selective abortion is more widespread than doctors’ association officials admit (Vaughn, 2020). This suggests that the problem is widespread and should be effectively countered by any means.
In China and India, where cultural preferences for boys have coupled with political and economic considerations to create a significant distortion of birth sex ratios, sex-selective abortion is a well-known issue. Abortion is commonly used for sexual selection because of the societal preference for male kids in various nations (Robitaille & Chatterjee, 2018). Sex-selective abortion is a problem that must be addressed if we are to take into account the place of women in society and the effects of sex choice on interpersonal relationships.
Sex selection has already been outlawed in more than thirty nations, including Canada and the UK, on the basis that it perpetuates gender inequalities. However, even though elective abortion is perhaps the most damaging type of prenatal sex discrimination, many nations and organizations disregard the restriction on elective abortion while denouncing sex discrimination and supporting bans on pre-implantation sex selection.
Everyone will be impacted by allowing gender choice since it will change how we perceive and anticipate children in general. The case of sex-selective abortion is the first step in the further choice of height, eye color, etc., which in no case should be developed. This is morally unacceptable, and every child should be given the right to be born, no matter what sex, height, or weight he may be. Complex ethical questions surround sex-selective abortions, which include having children only to meet parental choices and expectations (Robitaille & Chatterjee, 2018). After birth, it is against the law to discriminate against a boy or girl based on sex. Similarly, it should be required to protect those same youngsters from gender discrimination before birth.
For several reasons, it has proven to be very challenging to implement the ban on sex-selective abortions. For instance, doing an ultrasound examination in a private clinic is simple (Robitaille & Chatterjee, 2018). Additionally, several nations ignored this legislation for decades, in particular India and Nepal. The efforts of governments and non-governmental groups to launch an outreach and awareness program might be another potential answer. Although their efficacy is debatable, they potentially have the potential to influence the mindset.
The practice of female foeticide is widespread in Asian nations and significantly affects future generations. Female foeticide has several moral and societal repercussions, with pervasive gender discrimination against women most likely being the most important one (Shah et al., 2018). As well sex-selective abortion, this practice is morally unacceptable, can its implications are dangerous to the normal development of human society.
The practice of female foeticide has already led to the changing in the societal dynamics in several Asian countries. Changes in the sex ratio in nations like India, Nepal, and China are a harbinger of impending negative public health effects (Shah et al., 2018). The lack of a partner can have major social repercussions in Asian culture (Robitaille & Chatterjee, 2018). Young and frustrated males tend to turn to vice and violence to find fulfillment, which can encourage socially harmful conduct (Shah et al., 2018). These circumstances can also result in low self-esteem and sex problems that cause violence, including rape and drug misuse.
South Korea was the country most effectively restoring the male-to-female ratio to normal norms. It enacted rigorous anti-feticide legislation in 1987 and became the first nation to disclose female feticide and outlaw prenatal sex determination (Shah et al., 2018). Regulation of ultrasound equipment sales and prescriptions, as well as a prohibition on exposing an unborn child’s sex, were among the policies and regulations introduced to prevent female foeticide.
Stopping and eradicating female foeticide is crucial since it is the worst type of prejudice against women. This can become a serious challenge, particularly in Asian countries, with various cultural repercussions. Despite laws prohibiting it, female foeticide is nonetheless common in various nations in the region, creating a variety of demographic, social, and ethical issues. A thorough intervention at different levels is required to completely abolish the practice (Shah et al., 2018). Additionally, there is a critical need to teach future generations a solid ethical code of behavior as well as effective regulations to support awareness campaigns.
References
Robitaille, M. C., & Chatterjee, I. (2018). Sex-selective abortions and infant mortality in India: The role of parents’ stated son preference. The Journal of Development Studies, 54(1), 47-56.
Shah, K. J., Gyawali, B., & Aro, A. R. (2018). Ending discrimination at the womb: Ethical perspectives on tackling female feticide in Asian countries. Ethics, Medicine and Public Health, 6(1), 52-58.
Vaughn, L. (2020). Bioethics: Principles, issues, and cases. New York: Oxford University Press.