Infanticide
Infanticide and Sex Selection Past, Present, and Future
James C. Gill
University of Missouri- St. Louis
July 31, 2011
Abstract
Infanticide is the killing of unwanted babies. It was common throughout the Roman Empire and many countries in the ancient world. In those times infanticide was accepted because it was a way limiting family size that was safe for the mother (“Infanticide common in Roman empire” 2011). More recently sex selection has been a problem in many countries for many years, but will soon be the next major issue for China and India if action is not taken. The cultures of China and India say that males are the preferred gender and sex selection is actively sought out. If parents cannot afford to abort fetuses using sex selection, they resort to infanticide. Why do these cultures believe in infanticide? Why do they believe it is ethical? In this paper I will explain the ethics behind infanticide and sex selection. I will also prove why infanticide and sex selection are not ethical using rule ethics.
Introduction
Zhang Mei is a 37-year old woman who lives in Suining, China. Her parents sold her into marriage 20 years ago. She describes her husband as gentle, but 15 years her senior, undeniably ugly, and one of the poorest residents of the village. Soon after marriage she was under pressure to have a son. Her first two children were girls and the third was a boy. Her husband complained that it cost too much to educate girls so they were sent to be raised with her parents (Hvistendahl, 2011).
These two girls were lucky to be raised by their grandparents and that they were not killed. But this story shows how gender preference and infanticide has effected Chinese and Indian society. There are not enough women for the number of men, so many women are sold into marriage or even become prostitutes. The sex trade industry is a result of infanticide. Mosher says, “women are trafficked from North
James C. Gill
University of Missouri- St. Louis
July 31, 2011
Abstract
Infanticide is the killing of unwanted babies. It was common throughout the Roman Empire and many countries in the ancient world. In those times infanticide was accepted because it was a way limiting family size that was safe for the mother (“Infanticide common in Roman empire” 2011). More recently sex selection has been a problem in many countries for many years, but will soon be the next major issue for China and India if action is not taken. The cultures of China and India say that males are the preferred gender and sex selection is actively sought out. If parents cannot afford to abort fetuses using sex selection, they resort to infanticide. Why do these cultures believe in infanticide? Why do they believe it is ethical? In this paper I will explain the ethics behind infanticide and sex selection. I will also prove why infanticide and sex selection are not ethical using rule ethics.
Introduction
Zhang Mei is a 37-year old woman who lives in Suining, China. Her parents sold her into marriage 20 years ago. She describes her husband as gentle, but 15 years her senior, undeniably ugly, and one of the poorest residents of the village. Soon after marriage she was under pressure to have a son. Her first two children were girls and the third was a boy. Her husband complained that it cost too much to educate girls so they were sent to be raised with her parents (Hvistendahl, 2011).
These two girls were lucky to be raised by their grandparents and that they were not killed. But this story shows how gender preference and infanticide has effected Chinese and Indian society. There are not enough women for the number of men, so many women are sold into marriage or even become prostitutes. The sex trade industry is a result of infanticide. Mosher says, “women are trafficked from North
References: 1. Carner, Talia. (2007). Indifference or just silence: gendercide in China. 1-57. 2. Hvistendahl, Mara. (2011). Unnatural selection. Psychology today. 81-87. 3. Karabin, Sherry. (2007). “Million girls missing in asia.” 4. Sumner, Molly. M. (2009). The unknown genocide: how one country’s culture is destroying the girl child. International journal of nursing practice. 65-68. 5. Viegas, Jennifer. (2011). “Infanticide common in roman empire.”