Chinese woman forced to abort 8-month-old fetus
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101021/ap_on_re_as/as_china_forced_abortion
According to the article, the couple already had one child, and the woman was forcefully taken from her house to a clinic where she was injected with a drug to kill her baby. Officials are saying that they had permission from her husband to do this, but he denies he was ever contacted or that he ever gave any sort of permission for the abortion. It also says that forced abortions are illegal, but that the police often look the other way should they occur.
Is this a women's rights issue? Human rights issue?
What are your thoughts on the One Child Law?
Is it fair that the child be aborted because it is against the law to have a second child?
Will this be covered more in the media and will China address it internationally or even nationally?
I know what my opinions are on the matter, but would love to hear from the rest of you!
Here is a link to AlJazeerah, they have a video interview of the husband and wife:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/10/201010208145793266.html
Though I find it hard to speak on a culture I have no first-hand knowledge about, I do know this: women's rights ARE human rights no matter the culture! A woman's body is temporary housing for life, which means no authority or individual has the right (no matter the legality) to invade the body without permission. Many issues surround the topic of female body politics, and this is yet another example of how a woman's body has been used as a weapon against her based on the patriarchic idea that she is weak-minded and can't decide for herself. As in cases of rape, which is also unwanted bodily invasion, the offender would hopefully be prosecuted (though this is not always the case), so the invasion of the woman's body in this instance should be held to the same legal standards. A woman's body is only ever her own - no one except the woman has the right to decide what should go on inside of it.
ReplyDeleteAs for China's one child policy, I am torn. I simultaneously feel it is an effective way to potentially save the planet from parasitic human overpopulation, while also realizing it is against the notion of human rights to deny reproduction, a fundamental desire of human biology. I think the solution to overpopulation is not government regulation, but rather teaching the importance of individual self-restraint.
Leanna what a horrifying yet interesting post.
ReplyDeleteI feel that a forced abortion is both a Human Rights and a Women’s rights issue. No one, except a woman should have the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. The article says China’s response to a second child is normally, “hefty fines, seizure of their property and loss of their jobs.” Why would they change their procedures for this situation? How can a forced abortion be ignored by the police?
A forced abortion is probably just as invasive, violating, harmful, controlling and power driven as rape. Would a country allow its Family Planning Officials to rape women? Where are the lines drawn?
Part of me understands the one child law, as over population is an enormous concern for the world; however, I feel it is a violation of human rights. I am so glad it is not something I personally need to enforce. I am curious about how the One Child Law is presented to the Chinese people. Are the population issues presented to them at a very young age in school or are people simply forced to abide by laws they may not understand?
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ReplyDeleteSorry my post is so similar to Danielle's. Her post was not up when I wrote mine. It is interesting how similar our reactions to the article are.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Danielle and Julie about the rights of the woman in this situation. As far as the One Child Law, it appears to be an effective way to control population. However, it is quite obvious that with thirteen million abortions (possibly more with unreported abortions) the One Child Law is not adequate enough to sustain population. Danielle brought up a great suggestion about teaching Chinese citizens about this. "Al Jazeera" noted that China’s abortion rate is “24 abortions for every 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44.” It is difficult to detect a common trend since the age range is so wide, but it is worth researching. Of course we can infer that there might be problems with controlling pregnancy in high schools and with married couples, but to accurately access why there are so many abortions, Chinese family planners and the government needs to look deeper into the problem. In what situations are Chinese citizens becoming pregnant? Most of us are aware that contraceptives, birth control pills, and operations to prevent birth do not always work. It is not clear if this couple planned to have another baby or if the baby was unexpected. In either case, the law was broken so a penalty would seem fair, but why forced adoption? Why did the police and judicial authorities ignore illegal forced adoptions? Thirteen million abortions should be enough proof to address this issue in a different manner.
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