“Give justice to the weak and fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 82:3-4
A few years ago I came across a profound documentary. This video is just the trailer for a documentary called “It’s a Girl”.[1] The full documentary is now on Netflix. The short little trailer is still a powerful blow to the gut. So often, we think about the sanctity of human life from an American perspective.
That is where this documentary helped me to think about the abortion debate in a different way. The documentary is about the “gendercide” that is currently occurring throughout the world but particularly in India and China. Gendercide is the systematic elimination a specific gender because the other gender is determined to be preferable. According to the “It’s a Girl”documentary, the United Nations estimates that 200 million girls have been eliminated from today’s world population.
Millions of babies have been and are being aborted or abandoned simply because they are girls. Currently, more baby girls are aborted or abandoned in India and China than are born in the United States. In 2003, there were 1,996,415[2] baby girls born in the US.
Why is this happening? Why are baby girls being systematically and methodically eliminated in China, India and in other countries? It is happening primarily for economic reasons. Chinese traditional thinking is best described in the ancient “Book of Songs” (1000-700 B.C.):
“When a son is born, Let him sleep on the bed, Clothe him with fine clothes, And give him jade to play… When a daughter is born, Let her sleep on the ground, Wrap her in common wrappings, And give broken tiles to play…”
These parents are making family planning decisions. They are planning their parenthood. These families fear that without sons they will face poverty and neglect. The male offspring in these cultures represent continuity of the family lineage and protection in their old age. A male child is valued for economic and security reasons. These are realities have profound ramifications.
In 1979 China instituted its population control policy and it has been incredibly affective. It is estimated that 400 million births have been eliminated in China due to its population control policy. The particularly devastating effect on baby girls started in the 1980’s when advancements in technology made ultrasound examinations more prevalent. It was then possible for family planning based on gender, resulting in an increased number of sex-selective abortions.[3]
This practice of sex-selective abortions has been going on for the past thirty years. Now, according to one estimate, some 40 million Chinese men will be unable to find wives due to the “scarcity” of females over the next decade. Let me put that into perspective for you – the population of California, the most populous state in the US, is 37 million[4]. Currently, there are a growing number of so-called “bachelors’ villages” in various parts of China.[5] I don’t think we can even begin to know all of the ramifications of this disparity. There is no parallel in history; this has never occurred on such a massive scale.
What we do know is that God made men and women to complement each other; He made them for each other; eliminating one-half of that equation is just another example of how broken this world is that we live in. It is a tragedy that we don’t truly know the consequences of yet. My guess is that this disparity – this evil of the elimination of 200 million girls – is going to spawn untold events throughout the world that could affect us all.
So, why am I writing about this on a day designated Sanctity of Human Life Sunday here in America? I realize that none of us really have any influence upon what is happening in China or India. I bring it up because I want you to think about the horrific fruits of forty years of minimizing the worth of helpless, unborn life in a context that you may not have thought about before.
I don’t know of any better example then gendercide to demonstrate that this world is broken. I do not know of anyone who is making an argument for the fact that the elimination of 200 million baby girls is morally, ethically, or socially right. Our tendency as Westerners is to think that what is happening in China or India is a result of backwards or misguided societies and that we are different; we are more advanced, more moral – we would never do something like that.
Is that true?
Remember there are approximately 1.2 million abortions in America every year. There are reasons, explanations, and justifications behind every single one of them. There were 1.2 million decisions that were made. Consider the difference between why “family planning” is performed in China and India and why “family planning” in performed in the US.
- We just can’t afford another child.
- I won’t be able to go to college.
- I won’t be able to pursue my chosen career.
- We need a child to take care of us in our old age.
- We need a child to help work.
- What will people think of me.
- I will lose my friend/ boyfriend/ support of parents.
- I still have all these activities I still want to do before I am a parent.
- We want our family name to be carried on.
The rationales and reasoning sound pretty similar when you jumble them together. Actually, the typical rational in the US seems a little more petty. The difference really is in the scale and the preference of a gender. The US has never had to face the plainly observable ramifications of our disregard for human life as the societies of China and India are going to be facing.
However, IF we are going to say that it is wrong to eliminate one gender over there THEN it has to be wrong to eliminate both genders here. IF it is wrong to be selective of who is born over there, THEN it has to wrong to be selective of whether someone is born here.
We are not that different from them. The fact is that their culture is morally broken. Our culture is morally broken. Both cultures are in desperate need of a Savior.
PRAYER: O Lord, forgive us. Forgive us for trampling on your image. Forgive us for thinking that we have knowledge and understanding. Forgive us for walking in the ways of darkness and this broken world. Lord, open our eyes to the tragedy of abortion and the taking of lives of the weakest in our society. Motivate us to be a voice for these afflicted and destitute babies that are created in your image. Don’t allow your people to stand by silently. I pray this in the precious name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
A DEVOTED LIFE 