Population Control and Sex-Selective Abortion in China and India : A Feminist Critique of Criminalisation
(2023)- Abstract
- This chapter outlines some of the key concerns with criminalising sex-selective abortion (SSA) in China and India, highlighting that it offers no identifiable options for sustainable, women-centred, progressive change. Instead, the criminalisation of SSA sits firmly within other forms of carceral feminism. Framing SSA as “female foeticide,” “femicide,” or “gendercide” is problematic, as such terms advance arguments for limiting women’s access to safe abortion through the indication and synonymisation of abortion with the notion of killing. Such a conflation of abortion and killing runs many risks in compromising the long struggles of feminist movements globally to defend access to safe abortion. While representing different ideological... (More)
- This chapter outlines some of the key concerns with criminalising sex-selective abortion (SSA) in China and India, highlighting that it offers no identifiable options for sustainable, women-centred, progressive change. Instead, the criminalisation of SSA sits firmly within other forms of carceral feminism. Framing SSA as “female foeticide,” “femicide,” or “gendercide” is problematic, as such terms advance arguments for limiting women’s access to safe abortion through the indication and synonymisation of abortion with the notion of killing. Such a conflation of abortion and killing runs many risks in compromising the long struggles of feminist movements globally to defend access to safe abortion. While representing different ideological regimes, in both contexts, criminalising SSA has contributed to and bolstered the assertion of state power but without the feminist structural analysis of what generates son preference and daughter aversion. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/139f1a2e-460d-46ba-ab0d-a036136d2faf
- author
- Purewal, Navtej and Eklund, Lisa LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- host publication
- The Routledge International Handbook of Femicide and Feminicide
- editor
- Dawson, Myrna and Mobayed Vega, Saide
- pages
- 10 pages
- publisher
- Routledge
- ISBN
- 9781003202332
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 139f1a2e-460d-46ba-ab0d-a036136d2faf
- date added to LUP
- 2023-05-09 20:13:19
- date last changed
- 2023-05-11 09:45:39
@inbook{139f1a2e-460d-46ba-ab0d-a036136d2faf, abstract = {{This chapter outlines some of the key concerns with criminalising sex-selective abortion (SSA) in China and India, highlighting that it offers no identifiable options for sustainable, women-centred, progressive change. Instead, the criminalisation of SSA sits firmly within other forms of carceral feminism. Framing SSA as “female foeticide,” “femicide,” or “gendercide” is problematic, as such terms advance arguments for limiting women’s access to safe abortion through the indication and synonymisation of abortion with the notion of killing. Such a conflation of abortion and killing runs many risks in compromising the long struggles of feminist movements globally to defend access to safe abortion. While representing different ideological regimes, in both contexts, criminalising SSA has contributed to and bolstered the assertion of state power but without the feminist structural analysis of what generates son preference and daughter aversion.}}, author = {{Purewal, Navtej and Eklund, Lisa}}, booktitle = {{The Routledge International Handbook of Femicide and Feminicide}}, editor = {{Dawson, Myrna and Mobayed Vega, Saide}}, isbn = {{9781003202332}}, language = {{eng}}, publisher = {{Routledge}}, title = {{Population Control and Sex-Selective Abortion in China and India : A Feminist Critique of Criminalisation}}, year = {{2023}}, }