Policy Wise

And so is sex-determination

Policy Wise has in the past pointed out that it is futile to regulate women’s reproductive choices. A new study by the World Health organization brilliantly illustrates this point,

“We now have a global picture of induced abortion in the world, covering both countries where it is legal and countries where laws are very restrictive,” Dr. Paul Van Look, director of the W.H.O. Department of Reproductive Health and Research, said in a telephone interview. “What we see is that the law does not influence a woman’s decision to have an abortion. If there’s an unplanned pregnancy, it does not matter if the law is restrictive or liberal.”

But the legal status of abortion did greatly affect the dangers involved, the researchers said. “Generally, where abortion is legal it will be provided in a safe manner,” Dr. Van Look said. “And the opposite is also true: where it is illegal, it is likely to be unsafe, performed under unsafe conditions by poorly trained providers.”[link]

The important question is this: Why do well-meaning people continue to think that state intervention can solve the problem of selective abortion of female fetuses?