By Eunice Louis Ghita
During the summer break and the fall semester, I had the privilege of working on a project for ADF International, an organization that defends and advances fundamental freedoms and protects one’s right to live and speak the truth. At the beginning of the fall semester, another law student, Rachel Schoon joined me in working on this project. The project was in relation to sex-selective abortion. What is the prevalence of sex-selective abortion around the world? In which countries specifically is it practiced and why? Do those countries have any laws and policies to prevent its occurrence? What measures are they taking? Has the United Nations (“UN”) addressed the issue? We found that sex-selective abortion is most common in Asia, particularly in India and China. While there are various reasons for the practice that vary from country to country, what is present in all the countries where sex-selective abortion occurs is the belief that women have less value than men do. Even if there are laws in place to prevent sex-selective abortion from happening, they are usually not very effective, as they are either not enforced or people find ways around them. Certain measures and initiatives that have been taken have made a positive change, but more needs to be done. The UN has taken an official stance against gender discrimination, but not against sex-selective abortion, although it recognizes that it is a common practice in certain parts of the world.
When researching such a topic, it is impossible to be indifferent. I will end this post with Rachel’s reflection and my reflection on the project.
Rachel’s reflection on the project: “While, working on the ADF International project regarding sex selective abortion, I found it incredibly surprising how prevalent gender discrimination was at the beginning of life. Sex selective abortion is one of the most blatant, violent forms of gender discrimination. It cannot be excused to anything else; the parents preferred boy and when they found out, it was a girl, they aborted her. Even though this project dealt with heavy topic, I still have hope that rational adults, regardless of their politics or religion, will see that this is wrong and a blatant form of discrimination against women globally.”
My reflection: I have been asked many times in which century I would have liked to live if I had had the ability to choose. While I like Victorian fashion, reading historical fiction, and watching period dramas, I always responded that I am grateful to have been born in this period of history. When I was seven years old, I already knew I wanted to go to university as I really liked school. There was a time when women were not able to attend university or had very few options for doing so. They were largely unable to inherit land, and some were forced to marry for financial reasons. I do not want to live in such a world and yet, even in the 21st century, there are women who have so few options as though they were trapped in history. It made me sad to read about how girls are seen as having no value. They are not even given a chance to see the light of day for the simple fact that they are not boys. Those who do get the chance to live are constantly made to feel inferior by being discouraged from getting an education and receiving inferior health care to boys. When they grow up, the situation does not become better. They are seen as having less value for not earning money and yet, even if they want to, they are not allowed to have jobs. The only time when a woman’s status in her family and society changes somewhat is if she has a son. However, if she does not, she is blamed for it and her husband might leave her. There needs to be a change in mentality. Women and men have equal value in God’s eyes. When people choose to kill baby girls, they deprive the world of the unique talents and abilities that that girl might have had if given the chance. Another girl is not just another pretty face. It is another person who could change this world for the better if given the chance to live, work, and have an impact on this world.
This post was written by a student at Regent University School of Law. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.