Sex Selection
Sex-selection abortion
In the 1970's only one percent of geneticists believed that abortion for sex selection was morally acceptable, and this small minority generally kept their opinions to themselves for obvious reasons. By the late 1980's, the number of geneticists approving of sex-selection abortions had jumped considerably, and this trend shows no signs of abating.
Dozens of sex-selection clinics have sprung up all over the United States and Europe since the mid-1980s. These clinics offer amniocentesis solely for the purpose of determining the preborn baby's sex. Chorionic villi sampling (CVS), a foetal diagnostic technique, can be used to detect foetal gender as early as eight weeks' gestation.
The essence of the pro-life position regarding sex-selection baby-killing was summarised quite competently and accurately by writer Jo McGowan in the February 28, 1989 issue of Newsweek Magazine;
"Which abortion is not 'selective?' The handicapped foetus of the mother who only wants a perfect baby, the third child of a mother who only wants two, the unplanned baby of a mother who wants total control of her life __ all of these can be 'selectively' aborted ... Perhaps from the undeniable truth that it is wrong to kill a baby simply because it is a girl, will emerge the larger truth that it is wrong to kill a baby at all."
Missing girls
Right now, in almost any corner of the world, a baby girl is being killed just because she is a girl. Her mother may be rich or poor, educated or uneducated. One thing is certain: She is not alone. She is part of a growing global trend of sex selective abortion and infanticide that favors sons and proves deadly for daughters. The practice, once thought to be unique to China and India, is catching on in Central Asia, Latin America, and the rest of the world. In an era when girls can rightly aspire to unprecedented status alongside their brothers, why are more parents choosing not to let them live?
Even the controversial United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which promotes fertility decline and abortion, estimated in 2007 there are between 60 million and 100 million "missing girls" worldwide. What is missing from the analysis, however, is acknowledgment that international institutions like UNFPA, created after World War II to foster development, are key drivers of the unfolding tragedy through their promotion of fertility decline as a prerequisite for human development, and fertility control as an international human right.
This fact should give us pause the next time we hear a U.N. official tell us that the advancement of women is a top priority.
Throughout human history, demographers tell us, nature has provided about 105 male births for every 100 females. This "sex ratio at birth"-stable across generations and ethnic boundaries-may range from 103 to as high as 106 boys for every 100 girls. In only one generation, that ratio has come unglued.
Movie on missing girls
A documentary film by Shadowline Films (released late 2011) tells the stories of abandoned and trafficked girls, of women who suffer extreme dowry-related violence, of brave mothers fighting to save their daughters' lives, and of other mothers who would kill for a son. Global experts and grassroots activists put the stories in context and advocate different paths towards change, while collectively lamenting the lack of any truly effective action against this injustice.
And here is another excellent video on the subject