Re: “The Value of girls,” Feb.14.
That gender discrimination can be carried out to this degree is appalling. This misogynistic practice needs to be addressed and I thank Ms. Reynolds for bringing awareness to this issue in this current series.
The issue of female feticide shows us that there is an imbalance between the rights of the woman and the rights of the pre-born female she is carrying.
I find it unfortunate that the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC) doesn’t recognize that a balancing of rights is needed in order to educate certain cultures how to properly deal with the conflicting rights of the pregnant woman and the pre-born female within her.
The quote in the article that is taken from the ARCC website indicates that in its view, we should only be concerned about a woman’s unrestricted access to abortion, no matter what the reason. This is a failure to understand the fundamental human rights of the child to “adequate pre-natal and post-natal care.” This human right is included in the United Nations “Universal Declaration of the Rights of a Child,” of which Canada is a signatory to.
It is only with increased awareness and education promoting a more balanced view of these rights and laws which enforce the proper handling of the conflicting rights of mother and child that this issue can be dealt with. It is a “long haul,” but that shouldn’t deter us from eliminating gender bias towards pre-born females.
Mike Schouten, Surrey
