There are cultures in the world that value boys over girls and people living in those cultures will go to great lengths to ensure that pre-born females are never born. This cultural practice has also entered our country. Females should never be discriminated against simply because of their gender. This issue has been given plenty of attention over the past number of months. It all started when the interim editor of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Dr. Rajendra Kale, published an editorial bringing light to the fact female feticide was happening in Canada. He went so far as to suggest that doctors not reveal the sex of the child until after 30 weeks. Since then, the issue has been given attention on a regular basis. So much so, that the Minister of Status for Women, the Honourable Rona Ambrose has voiced her concerns on several occasions. What is “normal” in other cultures and countries is certainly unacceptable in Canada. We need to let the government know that there ought to be legislation in place that prevents this blatant discrimination against girls and women. This sexism needs to be addressed and everything done to stop it.
Please click the SimpleMail icon on the left to send a letter (content below) to your MP, the Minister for the Status of Women, and the leaders of each party.
Dear, (Name of MP)
Female feticide is a global problem of which Canada is not exempt.
In the past number of years, Canadians have become exposed to the reality that female feticide is occurring in our country. We were made aware of the disturbing results of a study done by St. Michael’s hospital in Toronto as well as a CBC private investigation into ultrasound clinics which found that gender determination tests were resulting in pre-born females being aborted simply because they are girls.
It is disturbing to me that there are cultures which discriminate to such a degree against females. The revelation that this practice occurs in other countries is not new. But the fact that these groups can carry out this horrific violation in Canada, which has such a high standard of human rights is appalling. That women in Canada can request, and receive an abortion, simply because they don’t like the gender of the child in their womb is a sexist practice that most Canadians would like to see banned.
I realize that there are some Canadians who believe that it’s just a matter of educating the different ethnic groups about equality between males and females, but I submit to you, education and awareness don’t go far enough. As a lawmaker, you are in a position to prevent female feticide by introducing legislation that bans this abhorrent practice.
A recent poll by Environics, indicated that 92% of Canadians think that aborting for gender reasons should be illegal. The public opinion favours a change in policy by a large majority when it comes to this issue. I want to encourage you to do everything in your power to bring an end to this terrible wrong.
As a concerned Canadian, can you inform me how to best assist you in addressing this? If, for any reason, you don’t think that sex-selective abortions need to be banned with legislation, I would appreciate hearing your reasons as to why not.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,