{"id":164556,"date":"2017-03-31T18:50:50","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T22:50:50","guid":{"rendered":"\/news\/?p=164556"},"modified":"2017-04-07T09:16:49","modified_gmt":"2017-04-07T13:16:49","slug":"arkansas-bans-sex-selection-abortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/arkansas-bans-sex-selection-abortion\/","title":{"rendered":"Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signs ban on sex-selection abortion"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On Wednesday, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed into law a ban<\/a> on abortions sought due to the sex of the child. Abortionists who violate the ban could be subject to fines as well as jail time.<\/p>\n

Rep. Charlie Collins, the bill’s sponsor, said his idea was inspired partially by the disastrous effects of sex-selection abortions, primarily targeting girls, in countries such as China. In a 2011 article<\/a> for the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Therese Hesketh, M.D., Ph.D.; Li Lu, M.D., Ph.D.; and Zhu Wei Xing, M.D., MPH, explain:<\/p>\n

For centuries, son preference has led to postnatal discrimination against girls; this has resulted in practices ranging from infanticide to neglect of health care and nutrition, often ending in premature mortality. But in the 1980s, ultrasound technology started to become available for diagnostic purposes in many Asian countries, and the opportunity to use the new technology for sex selection was soon exploited. In countries where there is a combination of son preference, a small-family culture and easy access to sex-selective technologies, very serious and unprecedented sex-ratio imbalances have emerged.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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While abortion advocates have argued that “son preference” is not as common in Western nations as a means of\u00a0dismissing the need for such a ban, this is not the point. Regardless of how prevalent a belief is, either it is healthy for society and the individuals in that society\u00a0or it is not. The idea that it is acceptable\u00a0to kill a preborn baby for being female, while sparing him\u00a0if he\u00a0happens to be male, is primitive, sexist, and otherwise problematic.<\/p>\n

Pro-life groups praised the ban as a step forward for equal rights. \u201cArkansas\u2019s governor and legislative leaders are to be commended for addressing the shocking problem of sex selection abortions<\/a> which disproportionately target baby girls,\u201d said Americans United for Life Vice President of Legal Affairs Denise Burke.<\/p>\n

Planned Parenthood Great Plains spokesperson Ashley Wright\u00a0conceded that gender discrimination is a problem but claimed that the ban “does nothing to address that issue.”<\/p>\n

A\u00a0past undercover Live Action investigation found<\/a> Planned Parenthood employees in five states willing to\u00a0help women obtain abortions solely because they stated they didn’t want their preborn\u00a0babies\u00a0due to the gender:<\/p>\n