The following postings are current concerns or projects of
the Social Justice Ministry of Sts. Joseph and Paul. Please volunteer,
contribute, participate, and otherwise lend your support!
We invite you to join members
of the Social Justice Committee in prayer by praying our monthly
Intentions with us.
India PM calls
aborted fetuses shameful
Published: 4/28/08, 7:25 AM EDT
By GAVIN RABINOWITZ
NEW DELHI (AP) - India's widespread practice of
aborting female fetuses is a "national shame," the prime minister said
Monday, insisting the country can no longer ignore the problem if it wants
to be a modern nation.
Experts say up to 500,000 female fetuses are
aborted in India every year because of a deep-rooted cultural preference
for male children, who will help support their parents in old age and
attract wives with substantial dowries.
"This is a national shame and we must face this
challenge squarely here and now," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told a
conference on ways to "Save the girl child."
"No nation, no society, no community can hold its
head high and claim to be part of the civilized world if it condones the
practice of discriminating against one half of humanity represented by
women," Singh said.
The British medical journal The Lancet recently
reported that up to 500,000 female fetuses are aborted every year.
Singh said the number of girls per 1,000 boys
declined nationally from 962 in 1981 to just 927 in the last census in
2001. Activists believe the problem has become even worse since the
census.
The gap in the ratio between girls and boys is
more extreme in wealthier urban areas where couples want fewer children
and the pressure to produce a male increases. In the northern state of
Punjab, there were only 798 girls for every 1,000 boys, Singh said.
For a recent report, the group ActionAid sent
interviewers to 6,000 households in five north Indian regions. In Punjab,
researchers found rural areas with just 500 girls for every 1,000 boys,
and communities of high-caste urbanites with just 300 girls per 1,000.
Parents often use ultrasound technology to
determine the sex of the fetus and abort females. Such tests have been
outlawed in India since 1991, but the rules are frequently flouted.
Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss told the
conference that stricter enforcement was not enough.
"At the heart of the problem are deep-rooted
prejudices," Ramadoss said.
In traditional Indian society girls are seen as a
financial burden, needing huge dowries when they marry that can cripple a
family financially. Boys typically remain at home after marrying, helping
to care for aging parents. Hinduism also dictates preference, with only
men being able to light their parents' funeral pyres.
"The long-term solution to this problem lies in
creating the right environment where sons and daughters are equally
valued," Ramadoss said.
Singh said to achieve equality for women the
country has to address many issues, including child marriage, female
illiteracy, malnutrition and taboos on women in public places.
"I do not say this as the prime minister of India.
I say this as the proud father of three daughters. I wish for every girl
in our country what I wish for my own daughters," he said.
Parish Trip to Mandeville,
Jamaica Sept. 23-29
Community Garden
10 Days in May Peace Campaign:
Candlelight Peace Vigil, Sunday, May 11, 7 pm
See parish bulletin or call the office for more details.
Deus Caritas Est : The Holy Father on Love and Service to the Poor
sdrose@bellsouth.net
5-4-2008 |
