Jivin J’s Life Links 8-4-11
by JivinJ, host of the blog, JivinJehoshaphat
- Rebecca Taylor on Mara Hvistendahl’s Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men:
What I loved most about this book is that it goes beyond the typical reasons why Asians are aborting their girls in record numbers. We know they have a preference for boys and China has a one-child policy. But Asia has always prized their sons and only China has a one-child policy. Yet all over Asia, in the last few decades, millions of girls have gone missing. Why?
Hvistendahl makes a compelling case that the Western world shoved population control down the throats of Asians and presented sex selective abortion as the “ethical” means to do it. The typical arrogant and fearful Western minds thought they had to control the growth of Asian populations and reasoned that if Asians kept having children until they got a boy, then providing sex selective abortion was the answer.
- A West Virginia man was arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting an ex-girlfriend:
The victim, who is 3 months pregnant with another man’s child, told officers [Bruce] Cook told her to have an abortion.
When she refused, he held a knife to her stomach and told her he would abort the baby, according to a complaint filed in Kanawha Magistrate Court.
- Hadley Arkes on Rick Perry (pictured left), the Tenth Amendment and abortion:
Perry remarked that if Roe v. Wade were overturned, the matter of abortion would be subject again to legislation by the states and that is where the matter should be dealt with. “You either have to believe in the Tenth Amendment or you don’t,” he said.
Perry is of course perfectly right, that if Roe v. Wade were overturned, the states would recover their power to legislate in imposing serious restrictions, even restrictions that come near banning abortions as a practical matter. But why would Perry assume that the federal government has no business acting in this domain? The problem, after all, emanated from the center. It was the intervention of the federal courts, striking down laws on abortion within the states that converted abortion into a federal or national issue.
The corrective, then, needs to come in part from the center….
- California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a law which was designed after pro-lifers protested abortion using graphic images at a school. The law creates tougher penalties for creating a disturbance near a school:
The bill was signed 3 years after a federal court found that the 1st Amendment rights of anti-abortion activists were violated when they were ordered to stop circling Dodson Middle School in a truck with billboard-sized photos of aborted fetuses.
The intent of the new law was questioned by Robert Muise, an attorney for the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, the group that staged the 2003 demonstration outside the school but was stopped by school officials and Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies.
“I think it’s meaningless,” Muise said. “If they pass this in a way to prevent the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform from engaging in peaceful demonstrations on public streets they are not going to win that fight.”
[Photo via dallasobserver.com]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
Whoa, so pro-lifers are opposed to sex ed yet they’re petitioning to have that ghoul mobile parked outside of a middle school? LOL
Pro-lifers aren’t opposed to sex ed. We’re opposed to promoting “safe sex” while disregarding giving teens the education and empowerment to abstain from sex.
What’s the problem, Megan? Don’t want to look at the end results of what you support?
So, the West is being blamed for Asians aborting girls in huge numbers because we’ve “made it seem ethical”? While I can’t deny that certain elements of Western culture have unfortunately embraced abortion as a-ok, we need to remember that infanticide, particularly of female infants, has a very long history in countries where there is a gender preference in children – and infanticide has historically been seen as acceptable there. It’s not very much of a step between accepting infanticide, then accepting abortion. Same difference. It is interesting, though, that we are experiencing that same process in the West, only backwards – people here accepted abortion first and now it’s leading to a greater acceptance of infanticide. Reference live-birth abortions and abortion “doctors” going out of their way to kill liveborn infants.
Hvistendahl makes a compelling case that the Western world shoved population control down the throats of Asians and presented sex selective abortion as the “ethical” means to do it. The typical arrogant and fearful Western minds thought they had to control the growth of Asian populations and reasoned that if Asians kept having children until they got a boy, then providing sex selective abortion was the answer.
Seems awfully far-fetched to me. Who are these “typical” westerners thinking we have to control Asia’s population? Has anybody noticed how fast the Asian population has been growing? What real “control” has there been, period, let alone that advocated by the West? China, itself, felt it had to do something, and the one-child policy resulted. IMO it’s just crazy to act like the West “did it.”
Do people really think it’s a good idea to force graphic photos around middle school students? That’s freaking awful.
@Doug read the book. Big money from the World Bank, the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations (even Disney and the guy that made Dixie cups got in on the act) was poured into Asia telling them they needed to stop having so many children. First it was accomplished with “coercive” measures by such as forced sterilization and forced abortion and now no coercion is needed. Many Asians now choose to have only one child. Many countries are below replacement rate and facing a not only a lack of females but an ever increasing greying population that does not have a younger generation to support it.
@army-wife again get the book and read it. It is well worth your time. Female infanticide alone cannot explain the hugely skewed sex ratios. Especially since the ratios are a problem in areas not known for female infanticide. It is the availability of portable ultrasound, widespread abortion and the population control propaganda from the West that created a perfect storm for 163 million females gone missing.
From the New York Times review of Unnatural Selection:
“From the 1950s onward, Asian countries that legalized and then promoted abortion did so with vocal, deep-pocketed American support. Digging into the archives of groups like the Rockefeller Foundation and the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Hvistendahl depicts an unlikely alliance between Republican cold warriors worried that population growth would fuel the spread of Communism and left-wing scientists and activists who believed that abortion was necessary for both “the needs of women” and “the future prosperity — or maybe survival — of mankind,” as the Planned Parenthood federation’s medical director put it in 1976.
For many of these antipopulation campaigners, sex selection was a feature rather than a bug, since a society with fewer girls was guaranteed to reproduce itself at lower rates.
Hvistendahl’s book is filled with unsettling scenes, from abandoned female fetuses littering an Indian hospital to the signs in Chinese villages at the height of the one-child policy’s enforcement. (“You can beat it out! You can make it fall out! You can abort it! But you cannot give birth to it!”) The most disturbing passages, though, are the ones that depict self-consciously progressive Westerners persuading themselves that fewer girls might be exactly what the teeming societies of the third world needed.”
Many countries are below replacement rate and facing a not only a lack of females but an ever increasing greying population that does not have a younger generation to support it.
This is why I believe that banning abortion worldwide is more than a pipedream. I think that in the coming years the demographic nightmare created by the abortion culture will become more glaring and most countries will just not be able to ignore it anymore. Whether it be a girl shortage in the East or a lack of children altogether in the West, something drastic will have to be done. For a harbinger of things to come look at Russia, whose population has been decimated by abortion. After almost a century of allowing abortion, they are now mounting campaigns against it. There has even been serious talk of an outright ban. I would also keep an eye on Spain and Italy which are two Catholic countries with very low birth rates. So far there has been no effort to curtail abortion rights, but I would not be surprised to see that change in the next few years. I have several cousins in Italy and they are ardently pro-life and this seems to be the concensus. I could see these two countries turning the tide on abortion rights.
I almost forgot to say that skewed sex ratios amongst children are now found in those families from eastern cultures even when they live in the west. Easterners make up a relatively small percentage of the US population (though it is growing), but the numbers are much larger in Europe, and this could also be a major consideration on whether to ban abortion in the years to come.
So many girls haven’t “gone missing”…we know where they went.
Just wanted to note that Perry later clarified that he would support a constitutional amendment banning abortion.
Jack if they are mature enough. to have sex I’d say let them see it!
Heather, I don’t want other people to decide what my kids see on the topic of abortion, is that my choice or not? I mean, people want kids excused from sex-ed (I agree, they have that right) and want parental control in other areas but they want to decide that other people’s kids should see graphic photos of dead babies without parental consent? I don’t agree.
@Doug read the book. Big money from the World Bank, the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations (even Disney and the guy that made Dixie cups got in on the act) was poured into Asia telling them they needed to stop having so many children. First it was accomplished with “coercive” measures by such as forced sterilization and forced abortion and now no coercion is needed. Many Asians now choose to have only one child. Many countries are below replacement rate and facing a not only a lack of females but an ever increasing greying population that does not have a younger generation to support it.
Thanks for the reply, Rebecca. Despite any and all “western influence from the 1950s onward,” it was still China itself that felt it had to do something about population pressure, and the one-child policy was implemented in 1979. In 2008, 76% of the Chinese population supported the policy. Whatever the west may have done through the 50s, 60s and 70s, it didn’t stop China from seeing the effects of so many people.
I think there are certainly negative social consequences for having an imbalance number of boys versus girls, but the fact remains that the Chinese felt they had to do something, not that they were under some type of “spell” conjured up by westerners.
Yes, you can say that “many countries are below replacement rate,” but the world as a whole is still rapidly expanding in population. There will be two more billion people in what – 30 years? 40?
Viewing the population as a “pyramid scheme” with “more” younger people to support the older only goes so far – in the end that scheme is doomed to fail anyway. We’ve not only had a fertility decline, but also a decline in mortality, and there is no “going back” to how it was in the past.
middle school students probably see a lot worse…if they can handle gory movies (and I am sure some of them have sneaked into a rated R movie) then they can handle seeing the picture of what abortion really is. We’re NOT talking about six year old children, Jack. We’re talking 12 and 13 year old children! this is MIDDLE SCHOOL, not elementary school.
I’m fully aware how old middle schoolers are, wasn’t exactly my point. I don’t see how people get to decide that other people’s kids get to see that stuff.
So, the West is being blamed for Asians aborting girls in huge numbers because we’ve “made it seem ethical”? While I can’t deny that certain elements of Western culture have unfortunately embraced abortion as a-ok, we need to remember that infanticide, particularly of female infants, has a very long history in countries where there is a gender preference in children – and infanticide has historically been seen as acceptable there.
I really have to disagree with this. Western culture in general, and American culture in specific, is arguably the biggest export produced in the Northern Hemisphere. And a major portion of that, lately, has been abortion and the whole culture of death that fosters it. Failing to recognize the role of Western culture in the vastly skewed sex ratios is…well, it’s a comforting lie that we tell to make ourselves feel better. But that’s all it is. We should not shrink from acknowledging the impact Western culture has had on other places in the world, or in admitting that it hasn’t all been positive.
@David Once again I would recommend reading the book, I couldn’t possibly due justice to Hvistendahl’s research and the players that made the one-child policy happen. The idea of over population was a Western idea and a Western fear. It was Westerners that told Asia they needed to limit their growth or the world would starve. Disney put out a video with Donald Duck telling them that they must limit their family size or their children will suffer. They believed it. Then the West gave them money to make it happen and were fine with them aborting their girls as long as they met their population goals. Now that there is a problem, the United Nations and Western countries are ignoring it and pretending it is simply an Asian issue. Of course Asian governments bear responsibility but so does the population control movement of the West.
This is not an either/or proposition. Many Asian cultures have traditionally assigned a very low value to female children, but they were usually allowed to live because large families were common. Some racist elitists from the West were fully aware of this and so they swooped in 40 years ago and exploited this preference with all of their overpopulation and abortion propaganda. So it really was two evils coming together to create the disaster we have today. There are no innocent parties.
I don’t see how people get to decide that other people’s kids get to see that stuff.
They can not look. There’s already been a case about this in California. You can’t restrict someone’s right to peacefully protest simply because a kid might be offended.
I didn’t mean anyone should have their First Amendment Right’s restricted. I am wondering why anyone thinks this is a good or productive way to protest. I wonder if people would think it was nuts for other groups to protest outside of schools. I’ll go campaign for gay rights outside the local junior high with photos of men kissing, let you know how many people want to respect that. All kidding aside, I think it’s a ridiculous way to make your point.
What’s wrong with making people face an inconvenient truth– especially if those people are of the age to know what abortion is and/or of the age to have an abortion themselves?
It’s an inconvenient truth that millions of women are beaten and many are killed by their spouses and boyfriends, but I don’t think the way to prevent it is to protest at middle schools with graphic pictures of beaten and dead women. I think these shock value campaigns do more harm then good.
when I was in high school, I was forced to read a book called The Good Earth by Pearl Buck in one of my literature classes I took. I HATED it. Women were treated bad during the time that Pearl Buck lived in China, having their feet bound to make them smaller. In the book, when a daughter was born, she was called a “slave”.
I wonder why feminists remain silent on this issue, after all, they claim to be all pro women….except for the pre-born ones in the womb.
Funny you should say that these people are deciding what OTHER people’s kids see…when there are parents that want to opt their children out of pornographic sex ed classes but often aren’t allowed to.
They should be able to opt out, it’s ridiculous if they can’t.
I agree with Jack. I’m a big proponent of using graphic photos, even when children might happen to see them. I think it’s a different thing to target children as the audience.
And I do think parents should be able to opt out of sex-ed classes also. It’s ridiculous when they cannot.
We’ve always said the first amendement doesn’t always apply to schools, or around schools – we have various laws about what types of businesses can be around schools – and the Supremes have noted that first amendement laws apply differently when it comes to school (hit bongs for Jesus case).
middle school students probably see a lot worse…if they can handle gory movies (and I am sure some of them have sneaked into a rated R movie)
Liz, I have to laugh – some of the kids that age I know would give an R-rated movie a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Army Wife: “So, the West is being blamed for Asians aborting girls in huge numbers because we’ve “made it seem ethical”? While I can’t deny that certain elements of Western culture have unfortunately embraced abortion as a-ok, we need to remember that infanticide, particularly of female infants, has a very long history in countries where there is a gender preference in children – and infanticide has historically been seen as acceptable there.”
Alice: “I really have to disagree with this. Western culture in general, and American culture in specific, is arguably the biggest export produced in the Northern Hemisphere. And a major portion of that, lately, has been abortion and the whole culture of death that fosters it. Failing to recognize the role of Western culture in the vastly skewed sex ratios is…well, it’s a comforting lie that we tell to make ourselves feel better. But that’s all it is. We should not shrink from acknowledging the impact Western culture has had on other places in the world, or in admitting that it hasn’t all been positive.”
Interesting topic. Alice, I really don’t know the extent of western influence in Asia, but suspect it’s being overstated with regards to this thread. You’re certainly right that the influence has not been uniformly positive.
In working with the Chinese, I’ve seen them pretty much doing what they want, regardless of outside influence (and honestly, even outside of some contractual agreements). It’s a cultural thing – they are a very old civilization, and they have their pride, and they are coming out of many decades of seeing a good bit of the rest of the world regard them as backwards and poor.
Tell you one thing, at the present time, their influence on the west and on the US, specifically, is growing, while our influence on them is shrinking.
I’m with Jack here. Graphic images are useful in the right context. But this goes too far. It’s a stupid idea. It’s just plain ignorant. Parents have the right to shield their kids from distressing and upsetting images, and nobody has the right to force other people’s children from seeing them. This is a ridiculous and damaging tactic.
I am also with Jack here. Freedom of speech is there for us, but we must use it responsibly. We can get the message across to kids just as well in a more age appropriate way, especially if that’s the target audience.
Also in regards to population control – many initiatives and help from the West have conditions – usually about employing population control measures or forcing abortion into a country that traditionally may not have it. So aid to a country – in the form of food, medicine, debt relief, etc is often saddled with having to accept artificial hormones/contraception,abortion and abortion policies. This was done under Republican and Democratic administrations…
See Maafa 21 – there is a horrific scene in there with President Nixon referring to poor African black children in a very demeaning way – all while expressing his support for keeping populations of Africans down. Disgusting.
Even here in the US – ‘undesirables’ were routinely sterilized if they wanted to get aid – and that was even into the 1970’s here in the states, if I recall correctly.
Population control is usually used by the ones who ‘have’ to limit the ones who ‘have not.’ Shameful. All we have to do to be compassionate is to help really – with educations/supplies/etc = not force populations into western ways and debauchery.
Rebecca
I thought that’s what I had read about Planned Parenthood. And what’s so insidious is their ability to convince countries that have a very intelligent populace to kill their own. I think it’s because sometimes people have made intellect their god so when they are presented information, that is given to them, that is presented as the only answer to a perceived reality, they feel that in order to be perceived as intelligent they must embrace the lie. Of course some realize what they’re doing they just have not been presented the correct information with the same flair the lies have been presented. Thankfully the Chinese have a very good sense of humor so maybe when the lies are presented again they can start laughing and real healing can begin. So my prayer is this. God help every country to see their beauty as individuals and as a country so that when they are presented with false information they will have the courage and resolve to stand for what they know is right.