Unfortunately, that female offspring are in inferiority of preference for many families of certain cultures is no secret, nor that selective abortions are performed when the fetus is known to be female. What has surprised me is that in a country like Canada a debate about whether to hide the sex of the baby or not to avoid these selective abortions.
An editorial in the medical journal of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) has urged doctors to hide the sex of the fetus from all pregnant mothers until 30 weeks gestation to avoid selective sex abortion by Asian immigrants.
Another article in the same issue of the magazine warns that Canada has become a "paradise" for parents who interrupt the pregnancy of female fetuses in favor of men due to the possibility of advanced prenatal tests and easily access abortion.
The editor-in-chief of the aforementioned magazine points out in the editorial that this practice that occurs by millions in India and China, also occurs in North America in sufficient numbers to distort the male-female relationship in some ethnic groups.
Although there are few studies evaluating the frequency of this practice among immigrants in Canada, the editorial points to research that suggests that sex selection It is more common among those from India, China, Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines who already have at least one daughter.
But there are those who see in these voices a conservative wave that seek to limit the rights of women and not only in terms of selective abortions, but also in terms of their medical information rights, because in reality few couples prefer not to know the sex of the baby before he is born And without denying that selective abortion is "unacceptable".
In addition, it is not clear whether among the proposals to expressly prohibit the disclosure of the sex of the fetus before seven months, when it is too late for an abortion, it would be extensible to all backgrounds or only to women of Asian origin, which It seems more discriminatory if possible.
In any case, the controversial proposal of the editor of the medical journal was well received by conservative groups, but not by defenders of the right to abortion, who warned that the debate goes far beyond selective abortion by sex in minority groups.
There are also those who see in the future extension of urine or blood tests to know the sex of the baby early a multiplication of selective abortions.
In short, it is a delicate, complex and with diverse implications that of do not reveal the sex of the baby to avoid selective abortions in CanadaSurely we will hear more about him and keep you informed.
