Oh, That Ethical Issue
So, obviously abortion is a controversial issue. People have serious moral sentiments on both sides. Arguably it isn't ethical to use sex-selective abortion to ensure a steady supply of girl scout cookies for the parents. What interests me is that some feminists are bothered by selective abortion as practiced in China (and elsewhere, I presume). In those cases, abortion reduces the number of girls born. Is it consistent for a pro-choice feminist to be bothered by these selective abortions? Here are a few thoughts.
1. The feminists might object to the social forces that bring about the abortions, not the abortions themselves. In this view, an abortion is a valid choice for a woman to make, but the fact that women selectively abort females reflects society's misogyny. In this view, feminists shouldn't oppose the abortions themselves, but should try to address the underlying cause.
2. Feminists might support abortion under some circumstances, but not for such a trivial purpose as sex selection. They balance the harm of abortion against the benefit to the mother. This balance causes them to support legal abortion, but not to condone it when the benefit is small. The problem is, what exactly is the harm of abortion? If the fetus isn't a person, it's hard to see much harm at all. If the fetus is a person, then the harm seems very serious. It's difficult (though not impossible) to think of a harm that is big enough to cause feminists to oppose some abortions but small enough for them to remain pro-choice overall.
3. Feminists might worry about the effect of sex-selective abortion on gender ratios. In this theory, the women who are born face difficulties because there are fewer of them than there would be otherwise. This is plausible, I suppose, though I tend to think that the opposite effect is more likely. With women being scarce, the women who do exist have greater bargaining power in the marriage market. This is a more serious point than it might seem: it lets women delay marriage with less risk of losing the option entirely. It lets women leave bad marriages more easily. Facing this possibility, husbands will have no choice but to respond to their wives' wishes. On the other hand, there will be fewer women voters down the line (not a concern in China, perhaps). So I guess feminists can make an argument along these lines, but I don't find it very persuasive.
I'm open to other arguments, but for now I don't find pro-choice feminists very compelling when they condemn sex-selective abortion.
1. The feminists might object to the social forces that bring about the abortions, not the abortions themselves. In this view, an abortion is a valid choice for a woman to make, but the fact that women selectively abort females reflects society's misogyny. In this view, feminists shouldn't oppose the abortions themselves, but should try to address the underlying cause.
2. Feminists might support abortion under some circumstances, but not for such a trivial purpose as sex selection. They balance the harm of abortion against the benefit to the mother. This balance causes them to support legal abortion, but not to condone it when the benefit is small. The problem is, what exactly is the harm of abortion? If the fetus isn't a person, it's hard to see much harm at all. If the fetus is a person, then the harm seems very serious. It's difficult (though not impossible) to think of a harm that is big enough to cause feminists to oppose some abortions but small enough for them to remain pro-choice overall.
3. Feminists might worry about the effect of sex-selective abortion on gender ratios. In this theory, the women who are born face difficulties because there are fewer of them than there would be otherwise. This is plausible, I suppose, though I tend to think that the opposite effect is more likely. With women being scarce, the women who do exist have greater bargaining power in the marriage market. This is a more serious point than it might seem: it lets women delay marriage with less risk of losing the option entirely. It lets women leave bad marriages more easily. Facing this possibility, husbands will have no choice but to respond to their wives' wishes. On the other hand, there will be fewer women voters down the line (not a concern in China, perhaps). So I guess feminists can make an argument along these lines, but I don't find it very persuasive.
I'm open to other arguments, but for now I don't find pro-choice feminists very compelling when they condemn sex-selective abortion.
posted by James | 5:26 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home