File spoon-archives/marxism-thaxis.archive/marxism-thaxis_1998/marxism-thaxis.9801, message 540


Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 22:37:07 -0500
From: Yoshie Furuhashi <Furuhashi.1-AT-osu.edu>
Subject: Re: M-TH: Re: Abortion for sex selectivity


Jerry questions Carrol:
>> To Jerry I can simply give the reply that Lisa Rogers gave him several
>> years ago: In a Jar Daddio, In a Jar.
>
>To my knowledge, Lisa never replied to me with that expression. Source
>plus date please?
>
>What is truly shocking, though, is that the above alleges that it is a
>"reply" to the following that I wrote previously:
>
>> Let's start with a fact: abortion *is* in some cases being used for sex
>> selection. That is by no means an "empty" statement. It is certainly real
>> enough in India where many bourgeois women are having abortions after
>> ultrasound testing when it is determined that the sex of the fetus is
>> (will be) female. Granted it is a fetus -- but, the decision to abort
>> fetuses with female sex organs and bring fetuses with male sex organs to
>> term is both a political and a moral issue.
>
>So I guess it is a matter of indifference to you whether there aren't
>girls born? Do you also believe that gender-based infantcide isn't a
>political question as well? Note that the reason abortion is preferred to
>infantcide by some bourgeois families is that they -- unlike the poor in
>less developed capitalist nations -- can afford ultrasound testing.

Jerry, sex selection is not a matter of indifference to me or Carrol. What
we are saying is that as long as Patriarchy remains in place, sex selection
continues *whether or not abortion is legal*. In fact, your own post
implies that much. Sex selection can be practiced without legal abortion,
through illegal abortion, infanticide, under-nourishing of girls, and so
on. Ever read Amartya Sen?

On the other hand, when we succeed in destroying Patriarchy, sexist sex
selection (choosing boys over girls) will cease to exist. It is as simple
as that.

What we need to fight against is Patriarchy, Capitalism, Racism,
Imperialism, and other forms of oppression. Making abortion a matter of
individual moral choice in our fight against sexist sex selection is akin
to asking people to fight the systemic oppression created by capitalism
through wise consumer choices of individuals.

Yoshie




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