Abortion Based on Gender in Different Cultures
Running head: ABORTION
Abortion Based on Gender in Different Cultures
Betty Smith
Introduction to Sociology
March 14, 2012
Abortion Based on Gender in Different Cultures
There is much controversy over a bill a U.S. House of Representatives committee approved prohibiting abortion based on gender or race, this legislation could come to a floor vote soon. The Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA) would prohibit doctors and medical staff from preforming an abortion if they know the intent of the procedure is based on race or gender. A study done in 2008 suggested gender-based abortion is being practiced in the United States; the report was published in the journal of the National Academy of Sciences. Laws against gender-based abortions exist in only four states, Arizona, Illinois, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. Florida is currently considering such legislation. Arizona is the only state that has a race-selection abortion law.
Abortion rights advocates oppose the bill. They believe the bill will restrict the ability of women of color to receive abortion care and could jeopardize the availability of abortion procedures for all women. Civil and women’s rights advocates state that the bill by punishing providers with fines and jail time would force providers to racially profile their patients and a provider would be expected to read a woman’s mind before performing an abortion or risk possible jail time. (Yeung, 2012)
The controversy is not limited to the United States. Britain’s 1967 Abortion Act does not legalize abortion but outlines the circumstances in which a doctor can perform one without breaching the 1861 Offences against the Person Act. Before an abortion can be carried out, two doctors must agree that continuing with the pregnancy would endanger the mother’s life, result in a severely handicapped child, or cause injury to the mental and physical health of the mother or other children. The concept of injury is unclear as it has never been tested in
Abortion Based on Gender in Different Cultures
Betty Smith
Introduction to Sociology
March 14, 2012
Abortion Based on Gender in Different Cultures
There is much controversy over a bill a U.S. House of Representatives committee approved prohibiting abortion based on gender or race, this legislation could come to a floor vote soon. The Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA) would prohibit doctors and medical staff from preforming an abortion if they know the intent of the procedure is based on race or gender. A study done in 2008 suggested gender-based abortion is being practiced in the United States; the report was published in the journal of the National Academy of Sciences. Laws against gender-based abortions exist in only four states, Arizona, Illinois, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. Florida is currently considering such legislation. Arizona is the only state that has a race-selection abortion law.
Abortion rights advocates oppose the bill. They believe the bill will restrict the ability of women of color to receive abortion care and could jeopardize the availability of abortion procedures for all women. Civil and women’s rights advocates state that the bill by punishing providers with fines and jail time would force providers to racially profile their patients and a provider would be expected to read a woman’s mind before performing an abortion or risk possible jail time. (Yeung, 2012)
The controversy is not limited to the United States. Britain’s 1967 Abortion Act does not legalize abortion but outlines the circumstances in which a doctor can perform one without breaching the 1861 Offences against the Person Act. Before an abortion can be carried out, two doctors must agree that continuing with the pregnancy would endanger the mother’s life, result in a severely handicapped child, or cause injury to the mental and physical health of the mother or other children. The concept of injury is unclear as it has never been tested in