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To the chagrin of pro-life advocates, the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA), which would ban sex-selective abortions in the U.S., failed to pass Congress last week.

Opponents of the bill varied in their rationale. Some, like radically pro-abortion Congresswoman Diana DeGette, argued that sex-selective abortion does not occur in the U.S. On the other hand, some so-called “feminist” groups admit that sex-selective abortions occur in the U.S. but argued that such legislation would place an undue burden on women in ethnic groups that have a cultural preference for sons.

Numerous studies have in fact documented that some sub-populations of women are more at risk to be coerced into a sex-selective abortion.

The Charlotte Lozier Institute points out that studies done at both the University of Connecticut and Columbia University found that:

“…naturally impossible sex ratios at birth are occurring in the United States, as documented in survey data from 2000 and after.  Skewed sex ratios (108), favoring boys over girls, have appeared in U.S. subpopulations mirroring the international data (Chinese-Americans, Korean-Americans, and Filipino- Americans).  Almond and Edlund identified these trends, including a male bias of 50% among third-order births, in U.S. populations of Chinese, Korean, and Asian-American heritage.  They wrote: ‘We interpret the found deviation in favor of sons to be evidence of sex selection, most likely at the prenatal stage.’”

Just because these cultures may have a traditional preference for sons, does that mean these moms and their unborn daughters should not be protected from this gruesome practice here in the U.S.?

Another study done by Dr. Sunita Puri at the University of California found that oftentimes women are coerced into choosing a sex-selective abortion because of pressure from their families. Dr. Puri wrote:

 “Forty women (62%) described verbal abuse from their female in laws or husbands. . . . One-third of women described past physical abuse and neglect related specifically to their failing to produce a male child.”  As a result, “women reported having multiple closely spaced pregnancies with terminations of female fetuses under pressure to have a male child.”   

Clearly, unrestricted access to sex-selective abortion does not guarantee equality and happiness for all women. Instead of lamenting PRENDA, those who claim to advocate for women should be pushing for this law to protect not only unborn girls, but their mothers as well. 

Imagine if we came together as a society to affirm those women instead of continuing to permit discrimination in the womb.  PRENDA does not discriminate, but rather it serves to build a culture that respects all female life from the moment of conception.

The bottom line is that sex-selective abortion is occurring right here in our own country. Those who don’t work to stop it, especially those who claim to protect women’s rights, are contributing to what is rapidly becoming a man’s world…ironically, all in the name of “feminism.”

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