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> India infact has a lower crime rate against women than the > US (even after accounting for differences in reporting > rates). Does it include female foe

> India infact has a lower crime rate against women than the > US (even after accounting for differences in reporting > rates). Does it include female foetuses aborted just because of the sex?

Lawtonfogle 11y ago
In what way should this be considered a crime? If a woman is being forced to abort, then that is a crime against her. But unless abortion itself is to be considered a crime (namely unless someone takes a stance somewhere on the pro-life side of the spectrum), how is selective consensual abortions a crime against anyone?
- DanBC 11y ago
  It's needed because some societies strongly select for male children. Women who give birth to daughters are murdered; those daughters are murdered; doctors are bribed to break laws about giving information about the sex of an unborn child; etc. At some point a society has to pass a bunch of law to drive change, to signal that some things are no longer considered to be acceptable. They tried persuassion and it didn't work. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13264301 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13264301
  - Lawtonfogle 11y ago
    >Women who give birth to daughters are murdered; those daughters are murdered; That would be your crimes against women. Not the abortions themselves. >doctors are bribed to break laws about giving information about the sex of an unborn child Doctors should give the patient full information to make an informed medical choice, including for an abortion. In this case, the law is the problem. >At some point a society has to pass a bunch of law to drive change, to signal that some things are no longer considered to be acceptable. They tried persuassion and it didn't work. Yet sex selective abortions aren't a problem in much of the world. In China's case, sex selective abortions are a result of the laws. Change the culture so that people don't feel pressured into a choice. Change the laws so that forcing people to make a choice is illegal. But don't remove that choice.
  - lake99 11y ago
    > doctors are bribed to break laws about giving information about the sex of an unborn child I have written on HN several times about corruption in India, but this is one of the kinds of corruption I have never seen. I have several friends who have children, and come from families who would never abort a fetus based on its sex. But still, their family doctors, who have known them all their lives would not divulge this bit of information. The article that you linked to reports instances, and I believe the personal stories to be true. However, when I reconcile my own experience with the stories in the article, I must conclude that it happens very rarely. So rarely that it cannot account for the large trends in the sex ratios. Getting a doctor to perform the abortion is easy though. > They tried persuassion and it didn't work. Indians are already getting choked with well-meaning but counterproductive laws. IMO, adding more laws wont help. They haven't tried general education. Among the poorer sectors of society, education seems to be as bad as it ever was. Don't go by India's published literacy figures; they are meaningless [1]. [1] http://gbytes.gsood.com/2006/07/03/literacy-in-india-can-india-spell-success/ http://gbytes.gsood.com/2006/07/03/literacy-in-india-can-ind...

> India infact has a lower crime rate against women than the > US (even after accounting for differences in reporting > rates). Does it include female foetuses aborted just because of the sex?

Lawtonfogle 11y ago

In what way should this be considered a crime? If a woman is being forced to abort, then that is a crime against her. But unless abortion itself is to be considered a crime (namely unless someone takes a stance somewhere on the pro-life side of the spectrum), how is selective consensual abortions a crime against anyone?

DanBC 11y ago
It's needed because some societies strongly select for male children. Women who give birth to daughters are murdered; those daughters are murdered; doctors are bribed to break laws about giving information about the sex of an unborn child; etc. At some point a society has to pass a bunch of law to drive change, to signal that some things are no longer considered to be acceptable. They tried persuassion and it didn't work. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13264301 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13264301
- Lawtonfogle 11y ago
  >Women who give birth to daughters are murdered; those daughters are murdered; That would be your crimes against women. Not the abortions themselves. >doctors are bribed to break laws about giving information about the sex of an unborn child Doctors should give the patient full information to make an informed medical choice, including for an abortion. In this case, the law is the problem. >At some point a society has to pass a bunch of law to drive change, to signal that some things are no longer considered to be acceptable. They tried persuassion and it didn't work. Yet sex selective abortions aren't a problem in much of the world. In China's case, sex selective abortions are a result of the laws. Change the culture so that people don't feel pressured into a choice. Change the laws so that forcing people to make a choice is illegal. But don't remove that choice.
- lake99 11y ago
  > doctors are bribed to break laws about giving information about the sex of an unborn child I have written on HN several times about corruption in India, but this is one of the kinds of corruption I have never seen. I have several friends who have children, and come from families who would never abort a fetus based on its sex. But still, their family doctors, who have known them all their lives would not divulge this bit of information. The article that you linked to reports instances, and I believe the personal stories to be true. However, when I reconcile my own experience with the stories in the article, I must conclude that it happens very rarely. So rarely that it cannot account for the large trends in the sex ratios. Getting a doctor to perform the abortion is easy though. > They tried persuassion and it didn't work. Indians are already getting choked with well-meaning but counterproductive laws. IMO, adding more laws wont help. They haven't tried general education. Among the poorer sectors of society, education seems to be as bad as it ever was. Don't go by India's published literacy figures; they are meaningless [1]. [1] http://gbytes.gsood.com/2006/07/03/literacy-in-india-can-india-spell-success/ http://gbytes.gsood.com/2006/07/03/literacy-in-india-can-ind...