Quote:
http://www.canada.com/news/Conceal+baby+Asian+abortion+trend+CMAJ+editorial/6003046/story.html
An editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal is calling for doctors performing prenatal ultrasounds to conceal the sex of the baby for the first 30 weeks, to curb a trend toward "female feticide" in the Asian community.
While reaction to the idea of withholding such information from parents has been mixed, there appears to be broad agreement that the practice of female feticide should be eliminated.
"Female feticide happens in India and China by the millions, but it also happens in North America in numbers large enough to distort the male-to-female ratio in some ethnic groups," said the editorial by interim editor-in-chief Dr. Rajendra Kale.
"A woman has the right to medical information about herself . . . (but) the sex of the fetus is medically irrelevant information — except when managing rare sex-linked illnesses — and does not affect care," the editorial reads. "The solution is to postpone the disclosure of medically irrelevant information to women until after about 30 weeks of pregnancy."
Dr. Nahid Azad, president of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada, said if the problem is widespread the blanket policy is an effective way to combat feticide, but she added the Canadian Medical Association should undertake a study to determine where the practice is most prevalent in Canada.
"I cannot see only one organization or one specific policy would be able to tackle that," she said. "If it's widespread, if it's a growing problem, then we do need to have some kind of blanket type policy for everyone. If there are pockets (where it happens), and there are particularly some provinces this is being practised, or there is good documentation or understanding . . . then that requires a much higher level of scrutiny."
Dr. Shelly Ross, an obstetrician and international liaison for the FMWC, said it is not likely the policy would have any effect on the practice of feticide.
"The rules, at least in B.C., are that we don't tell them for 20 weeks," Ross said. "But I find that in this modern day and age, if we say, 'No, we're not going to tell you,' (the patients) will go out to the private (doctor) and find out themselves."
Ross stressed the organization is wholly against feticide, but she doesn't feel extending the current time frame for keeping the gender secret would make any difference.
The editorial cited China, India, Vietnam, the Philippines and Korea as sources of immigrants who practise female feticide.
In an interview, Kale said 30 weeks was picked as an approximate time to start providing mothers information on their fetus's sex because, after that point, it would be difficult for anyone to get an abortion without a good medical reason for doing so.
"No (physician) in Canada would really do an unquestioned abortion after 30 weeks," he said, noting that there is a significant chance of having a live birth at that point.
The editorial notes that evidence points to the practice of gender-related abortion happening in Canada, including a 2009 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research that shows a higher-than-normal probability of Asian immigrants here having sons in subsequent births if their first child was a girl.
"It's a small problem in Canada compared to India and China, for sure, but it's localized to certain ethnic groups (in Canada)," said Kale, who was born and raised in India.
The editorial highlights a recent U.S. study involving a small sample of 65 women of Indian descent. Forty per cent of these women at some point had aborted a female fetus, while 89 per cent of those who knew they were pregnant with a girl were seeking an abortion.
Gwendolyn Landolt, national vice-president of the pro-life group REAL Women Canada, said she is fully in favour of the proposal.
"To prohibit that is certainly a move in the right direction, so people won't know the gender and won't destroy the child because of its gender," Landolt said.
"(The parents) don't have a right to know. The purpose of the ultrasound is to determine the state of health of the child and try to correct some problem in utero. It doesn't mean that because you have an ultrasound that you have a right to know."
But Joyce Arthur, executive director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, said the policy would unnecessarily keep information from parents who might have a valid need for it.
"Imposing on a doctor what you can and cannot tell a patient really interferes with medical discretion," Arthur said. "Every situation is different and the doctor needs to be able to judge or talk to the patient honestly and openly."
This discretion also could include, she said, a doctor deciding not to tell the patient the sex of their child.
Asked if he expected his editorial to attract a negative reaction from pro-choice and women's rights advocates, Kale replied that female feticide is "the worst form of discrimination against women. . . . They're saying (to women), 'we don't want you,' and that's extreme."
The Canadian Medical Association notes that editorial viewpoints are not necessarily those of the association.
An editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal is calling for doctors performing prenatal ultrasounds to conceal the sex of the baby for the first 30 weeks, to curb a trend toward "female feticide" in the Asian community.
While reaction to the idea of withholding such information from parents has been mixed, there appears to be broad agreement that the practice of female feticide should be eliminated.
"Female feticide happens in India and China by the millions, but it also happens in North America in numbers large enough to distort the male-to-female ratio in some ethnic groups," said the editorial by interim editor-in-chief Dr. Rajendra Kale.
"A woman has the right to medical information about herself . . . (but) the sex of the fetus is medically irrelevant information — except when managing rare sex-linked illnesses — and does not affect care," the editorial reads. "The solution is to postpone the disclosure of medically irrelevant information to women until after about 30 weeks of pregnancy."
Dr. Nahid Azad, president of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada, said if the problem is widespread the blanket policy is an effective way to combat feticide, but she added the Canadian Medical Association should undertake a study to determine where the practice is most prevalent in Canada.
"I cannot see only one organization or one specific policy would be able to tackle that," she said. "If it's widespread, if it's a growing problem, then we do need to have some kind of blanket type policy for everyone. If there are pockets (where it happens), and there are particularly some provinces this is being practised, or there is good documentation or understanding . . . then that requires a much higher level of scrutiny."
Dr. Shelly Ross, an obstetrician and international liaison for the FMWC, said it is not likely the policy would have any effect on the practice of feticide.
"The rules, at least in B.C., are that we don't tell them for 20 weeks," Ross said. "But I find that in this modern day and age, if we say, 'No, we're not going to tell you,' (the patients) will go out to the private (doctor) and find out themselves."
Ross stressed the organization is wholly against feticide, but she doesn't feel extending the current time frame for keeping the gender secret would make any difference.
The editorial cited China, India, Vietnam, the Philippines and Korea as sources of immigrants who practise female feticide.
In an interview, Kale said 30 weeks was picked as an approximate time to start providing mothers information on their fetus's sex because, after that point, it would be difficult for anyone to get an abortion without a good medical reason for doing so.
"No (physician) in Canada would really do an unquestioned abortion after 30 weeks," he said, noting that there is a significant chance of having a live birth at that point.
The editorial notes that evidence points to the practice of gender-related abortion happening in Canada, including a 2009 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research that shows a higher-than-normal probability of Asian immigrants here having sons in subsequent births if their first child was a girl.
"It's a small problem in Canada compared to India and China, for sure, but it's localized to certain ethnic groups (in Canada)," said Kale, who was born and raised in India.
The editorial highlights a recent U.S. study involving a small sample of 65 women of Indian descent. Forty per cent of these women at some point had aborted a female fetus, while 89 per cent of those who knew they were pregnant with a girl were seeking an abortion.
Gwendolyn Landolt, national vice-president of the pro-life group REAL Women Canada, said she is fully in favour of the proposal.
"To prohibit that is certainly a move in the right direction, so people won't know the gender and won't destroy the child because of its gender," Landolt said.
"(The parents) don't have a right to know. The purpose of the ultrasound is to determine the state of health of the child and try to correct some problem in utero. It doesn't mean that because you have an ultrasound that you have a right to know."
But Joyce Arthur, executive director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, said the policy would unnecessarily keep information from parents who might have a valid need for it.
"Imposing on a doctor what you can and cannot tell a patient really interferes with medical discretion," Arthur said. "Every situation is different and the doctor needs to be able to judge or talk to the patient honestly and openly."
This discretion also could include, she said, a doctor deciding not to tell the patient the sex of their child.
Asked if he expected his editorial to attract a negative reaction from pro-choice and women's rights advocates, Kale replied that female feticide is "the worst form of discrimination against women. . . . They're saying (to women), 'we don't want you,' and that's extreme."
The Canadian Medical Association notes that editorial viewpoints are not necessarily those of the association.
Now I am pro-choice, but when I am confronted with the issue of female feticide, I find it a very challenging issue. While I support a woman's right to autonomy over her body and her life, the idea of aborting a fetus simply because it is a girl, really bothers me.
Is that hypocritical?
PS (same goes for aborting simply because the fetus is a boy. That would also bother me. The issue here is not feeling like it matters what the gender of the child is, and being disturbed by the obsession with the gender of the child.
Edited, Jan 16th 2012 6:08pm by Olorinus
