Gina Ponzi
Feb 3, 2009
12:12 am
In an effort to limit and decrease overpopulation in China, the Chinese government has resorted to drastic measures. Women and couples in China are permitted to have only one child, and if they have two, they are either heavily fined or forced to abort the baby—even during the 9th month of pregnancy. Unwed expectant first time mothers are also at risk for forced abortions, according to cases reported in Guangxi Province.
Wei Linrong and her husband, Liang Yage, were expecting their second child when the government came unexpectedly to their home one afternoon. They told her that she would have an abortion, despite the fact that she was in her seventh month of pregnancy, and disagrees with abortion because of religious reasons. But it was not negotiable—if she would not come, they would carry her. Doctors injected three shots into her abdomen; contractions started the following afternoon and lasted 17 hours, until the baby was born, his body black and lifeless. The nurses promptly wrapped the baby in a black plastic bag and threw it in the trash. One eye witness claimed to have seen over 41 women on just one single floor of the maternity ward in Baise—he thought none of them had come freely.
China’s one child policy was initiated in 1980, but in 2002 laws were passed guaranteeing women more freedom in choice in family planning. However, the previously described events happened in April of 2007, five years after the new laws were passed.
In our last reading, Imperialism 101, Michael Peranti mentions population control and the "progress” that nations such as China have made in this area. He states that, “the factors they had in common were public education and health care, a reduction of economic inequality, improvements in women’s rights...Fertility rates were lowered not by capitalist investments and economic growth as such but by socio-economic betterment, even of a modest scale, accompanied by the emergence of women’s rights.” (Italics mine). My question is this: how does one, even in the remotest stretch of the imagination, conclude that forcing women to get abortions is advancing women’s rights? I suppose, at least for Mr. Peranti and government officials in China, that the ends always justify the means. Will we all prescribe to this line of thinking? If so, then God save us all.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9766870
1 comment:
This is such a sad story. However in the article by Michael Parenti it also said that poverty in some countries was blamed on over population. China has surpassed the six billion inhabitants that it had last year. Scaling down on the amount of children might be unfair but if not having children will raise the amount of health care, education, living conditions, and overall poverty rate then maybe it is something to consider.
Abortion in my opinion is cruel and nobody should be forced to do something like that. But prevention is the key here, if these people know that there is a chance of something such as this happening to them i do not know why anyone would want to have more than one child. And if your wealthy enough to have more than one more power to you. Adoption is another great solution.
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