Guest Commentary
Archbishop J. Michael Miller
This is a pivotal time in British Columbia.
On Thursday, May 9, many of us will gather in Victoria for the B.C. March for Life, joining thousands of Canadians who are celebrating life at marches across the country.
This annual event draws large crowds, and this year we will bring a unique message to the B.C. Legislature: the time has come to end sex-selective abortions.
We will put a public face on the message that children are dying because they are the “wrong” gender.
We will ask British Columbians to face up to the reality of gendercide, of depriving an infant of life because she is a girl. The issue will be echoed at the National March for Life in Ottawa.
Another sign that life issues are not easily hidden from public view is the recent questioning by several MPs about the death of hundreds of live babies following failed abortion attempts.
Girls are targeted for being the “wrong” gender, and live infants are allowed to die. Both practices must stop.
On May 14, British Columbians will go to the polls to choose their leadership for the next four years. This occasion offers a unique opportunity to communicate with legislators and candidates. Now, more than at any other time, we have the interest and attention of the media and politicians.
Ours is a province where we admirably struggle to find ways to end child poverty, but sadly we tolerate the ending of dozens of innocent unborn lives every day across B.C.
We have witnessed violence against the unborn for too long. Now is the time to send a message loud and clear that we stand for life.
I invite Catholics and people of good will to make their views known, support the March for Life, form their conscience before voting, and pray that a “culture of life” will result in our nation.
J. Michael Miller is the Archbishop of Vancouver
Female infanticide in China and India
Female infanticide is a significant problem in India and China
India
Female infanticide and female foeticide (the selective abortion of girls in the womb) are significant issues in India.
Female infanticide has been a problem for centuries, partly as a result of the patriarchal nature of Indian society.
Modern India has tried several ways to tackle the issue. One initiative in the state of Tamil Nadu was taken to attack the underlying economic problems.
Where parents had one or two daughters but no son, and either of the parents was willing to be sterilised, the government offered the parents money to help look after the children. This money was to be paid annually throughout the daughter's education, followed by a lump sum on her twentieth birthday, either for use as a dowry or to fund further education.
China
Female infanticide has existed in China for a long time, and although the One Child per Family policy has added to the problem, it didn't cause it.
The One Child Policy was introduced by the Chinese Government in 1979 with the intention of keeping the population within sustainable limits even in the face of natural disasters and poor harvests, and improving the quality of life for the Chinese population as a whole.
Under the policy, parents who have more than one child may have their wages reduced and be denied some social services.
Despite the egalitarian nature of Chinese society, many parents believe that having a son is a vital element of providing for their old age. Therefore in extreme cases, a baby is killed if it is not of the preferred sex, because of the pressure not to have more than one child.
The Chinese Government have acknowledged the problem and introduced laws to deal with it:
Marriage law prohibits female infanticide.
Women's Protection Law prohibits infanticide and bans discrimination against women who choose to keep female babies.
Maternal Health Care Law forbids the use of technological advances, such as ultra-sound machines, to establish the sex of foetuses, so as not to pre-determine the fate of female infants or encourage selective abortion.
– BBC
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