--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Sal Sunshine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On Aug 12, 2006, at 4:07 PM, authfriend wrote: > > >> The pressure to raise sons in Chinese culture is > >> immense. And with the one-child-per-family policy they've had for > >> the past few decades, many women there are put in an absolutely > >> horrendous position. > > > > Unquestionably (although Lawson says they've > > dropped that policy).
I was wrong. Not sure where I heard it. > > Lawson is full of crap--the policy is alive and well. But in any case > that's not really the issue. As long as the cultural preference for > sons continues, the desire to get rid of daughters will be there, even > if the government allowed 10 kids/family. This policy has certainly > grossly exacerbated things, but it didn't create them. The situation, according to the Chinese in 2002, has never been as clear-cut as you and I both assumed: http://www.china.org.cn/english/2002/Oct/46138.htm "Zhao: First, I'd like to explain China's family planning policy. China's family planning policy is not the "one child policy" as understood by some people. The government advocates each couple to have one child in accordance with the family planning policy. However, any couple facing genuine difficulties, mainly those in rural areas whose first child is a girl, can apply for the birth of second child by going through the necessary formalities. If couples in urban areas are both the product of a one child family they are entitled to produce a second child. Besides, the policies in ethnic minority areas are actually more flexible. Since specific birth policies are set by each province according to local circumstances, the conditions vary from province to province and from city to city. Even within one province, different areas may have different circumstances. Within a single area, different ethnic minority groups may also be subject to different policies." Also, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-child_policy > > > Besides, I'm not really sure what I see as the difference > >> between selective abortion (my term) and any other kind? It's all > >> selective. Yes, there will be many and varied long-term > >> consequences of this--many villages in China are feeling it > >> already, as men grow up there and there are no women their age to > >> marry--but apart from having some unmarried men, I'm not sure > >> that's really a problem. > > > > Well, but that's *the* issue. Maybe you're right > > and it wouldn't be much of a problem, but it seems > > to me it might cause massive and intractable social > > disruption and imbalance that would have all kinds > > of negative consequences. > > And all the unwanted girls that are placed in orphanages (and who > survive) and grow up to become almost overwhelmingly prostitutes and > drug addicts--and who then go on to have more unwanted children, > perpetuating the cycle--what is that if not massive and intractable > social disruption? That's the fate of nearly all the girls in China > who don't get adopted, as blood is everything there. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1031313 Morning Edition, March 19, 1996 · Renee Montagne reports on alleged Chinese human rights violations against its orphans. The United Nation's Human Rights Commission is meeting this week in Geneva to discuss a new resolution dealing with China. Some Chinese orphanages have been accused of exterminating "unattractive" children, and those who are hard to care for. On the other hand: http://jfi.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/27/3/301 Journal of Family Issues, Vol. 27, No. 3, 301-340 (2006) Child Adoption in Contemporary Rural China Weiguo Zhang University of Toronto at Mississauga, Ontario Based on qualitative information from in-depth interviews and quantitative data from a survey of 425 adoptive families conducted in summer 2001 in rural China, this study attempts to explain the social and demographic patterns of adoption and investigate the roles of the State and families in adoption processes in contemporary rural China. Within the changing context of the new political economy, culture, and social conditions brought about by market reforms (1978) and the "one-child" policy (1979), this study shows that adoption is now increasingly used as a strategy for the childless as well as reproductive couples to reach ideal family size and particularly ideal sex composition of children. Moreover, Chinese families are willing to adopt girls, though strong son preference persists. Overall, it appears that individual adoptions of children in rural China follow increasingly individual desires rather than State directives. > > >> And it sure > >> isn't a problem compared to children dying in droves, which is what > >> is happening now. > > > > Might it mean even *more* children dying in droves > > later on, though? > > Later on when? > > > >> There aren't near enough interested families to adopt all the > >> children in China who need it. > > > > Definitely a big problem. Again, the question is, which > > is the bigger problem in the long run? > > I would say that that is impossible to determine until later on gets > here. > > > I'm really not sure, Sal. I'm open to hearing > > arguments either way. If aborting female fetuses > > would cause fewer problems, then I'd be for aborting > > female fetuses, as repugnant as that is. > > What would cause fewer problems is if the cultural preference for boys > could be diminished somehow, but changing attitudes, esp. such > seriously ingrained ones, takes time, education and resources. They're > trying, but until it happens on a large scale I'm not sure there is > much else the government can do. ABandoning children there is illegal, > of course, but it doesn't seem to be stopping anyone. > > > >> No, I'm advocating not letting women use it to > >> selectively abort females (in other words, I'm > >> advocating not telling them what the ultrasound > >> reveals about the sex of the fetus). > >> > >> Then what would be the point of the US? > > > > Checking for abnormalities, determining the > > health of the fetus, and just generally making > > sure the pregnancy is progressing as it should. > > > > See this from the Mayo Clinic Web site for details: > > > > http://tinyurl.com/kn3un > > > > The money quote in this context: > > > > "Ultrasounds aren't recommended simply to > > determine a baby's sex but it may be a > > bonus when an ultrasound is done for medical > > reasons." > > I *know* that USs aren't recommended just for that reason, Judy. I'm > merely pointing out that it is used overwhelmingly for that purpose in > *China.* > To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
