FEMALE INFANTICIDE AND BUDDHISM

In partial fulfillment of the course

PAf 204 (Ethics in Public Affairs)

1st Semester 2009-2010

Submitted to Prof. CAROLINA SANTILLANA

Submitted by:

Douangkeo THOCHONGLIACHI & Hla Myat Tun

Students
SOCIO DEMOGRAPHIC OF INDIA

India has a highly masculine sex ratio, the chief reason being that many women

die before reaching adulthood. Female infanticide (killing of girl infants) is still prevalent

in some rural areas. The abuse of the dowry tradition has been one of the main reasons

for sex-selective abortions and female infanticides in India. In India culture, the

preference for boys over girls is well known and family is only complete once it has at

least one boy. A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband

in marriage. Compare bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which

is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The dowry is

an ancient custom, and its existence may well predate records of it. The accepted reason

for such a inequality is the practice of female infanticide in India, prompted by the

existence of a dowry system which requires the family to pay out a great deal of money

when a female child is married. For a poor family, the birth of a girl child can signal the

beginning of financial ruin and extreme hardship. In 1961, the Government of India

passed the Dowry Prohibition Act making the dowry demands in wedding arrangements

illegal. However, many cases of dowry-related domestic violence, suicides and murders

have been reported. In the 1980s, numerous such cases were reported. On the other hand,

all medical tests that can be used to determine the sex of the child have been banned in

India, due to incidents of these tests being used to get rid of unwanted female children

before birth. It is one of the methods families use to kill newborn girls. Although the

government has battled the practice for decades, India's gender imbalance has worsened

in recent years. There are less than 93 women for every 100 men in the population.
FEMALE INFANTICIDE OR LIFE BEFORE DEATH

Female infanticide is basically the selective killing of female fetuses, new born or

infants (either in the womb or after birth) due to an overabundance of reasons. It

happened not only in male dominated societies of backward villages that had no

education but also it has no the single venue. “Raising a girl is like watering the

neighbour’s garden” generally sums up the way girls in India are seen - as an economic

burden on their parents. Parents about to marry off their daughters in India usually have

to pay for the wedding and give a large dowry to the groom’s family.

There is a lady who had been a telephone operator for ten years with a seven year

old girl. Bogged down by in laws and husband to have a boy, she prayed regularly,

visited shrines, did penances barefoot and finally was ecstatic when she conceived

finally. However, in third month, she underwent amniocentesis illegally and was horrified

to know that she was carrying a girl child then she got aborted. After three months, she

conceived again using Chinese calendar and Indian astrology for specific natural ways to

conceive a boy. This time she succeeded and carried pregnancy happily to full term but

only after confirming that the fetus was a male. When her son was born, she and her

husband threw a gala party sending lots and lots of invitations.

There are several questions that we have to ask. Don’t they and the society realize

that they are murderer? Does the society neglect the murdering? Are they really happy

with their partying for having a boy after killing a female fetus or several fetuses? Do

they think about the funeral for the female fetus? Don’t they accept the female fetus as
their child? Is being female the reason to be murdered? Is killing of female fetus

acceptable in the society?

ETHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE BDDHISM ON FEMALE INFANTICIDE

Buddhists believe that abortion at anytime is killing and unwholesome action

because “a being waiting to be born” transmits his or her own kammic energy to be born

as a new person. Abortion may be considered as an act of killing life if the following five

conditions are perfectly together (1) an existing being (2) knowledge that it is being (3)

intention of killing (4) effort of killing and (5) consequent death. Certainly when the act

of killing is successful, it produces retribution. If the parents hate fetuses, the results are

unwholesome kamma. An abortion done for selecting sex of unborn babies would seems

to be one with serious kammic consequences since it seems to involve a hearted of a girl

because of preferences for a boy.

Abortion done by selective sex is not acceptable for Buddhism. That kind of

abortion is the acts done by with full knowledge and intension, human acts. In the

Buddhism beliefs, the parents may use any contraceptive to prevent pregnancy and that is

one of the duties of parents. Buddhism preaches the importance of humans to take care of

their children, so they can grow up with a good quality of life but they are not being

allowed to kill their child and their fetus.

BUDDAH TEACHING AND KILLING FETUSES

Basic perceptions of Buddhism are 1. to refrain from killing (especially human

life) 2. to refrain from taking that which is not given 3. to refrain from misuse of the

senses and sexual misconduct 4. to refrain from lying or using false or harmful speech 5.

to refrain from taking intoxicating drink or drugs which cloud the mind.

There is no established Buddhist doctrine although there is a general reluctance to

tamper with the natural development of life. A Buddhist may accept all methods of

family planning as long as these are not killing anyone’s life. Traditional Buddhism

rejects abortion because it involves the deliberate destroying of a life. Any kind of

abortion or “killing a human to be” is not strictly acceptable due to the first Buddhist

perception. According to the teachings of Buddha, five conditions must be present to

constitute an act of killing; 1) the thing killed must be a living being 2) you, the killer,

must know or be aware that it is a living being 3) you must have the intention to kill it

4) there must be an effort to kill 5) the being must be killed as the result.

Here's an example of how an abortion might constitute an act of killing:

When a baby is conceived, a living being is created and that satisfies the first condition.

After a few weeks the parents become aware of its existence or after a few months the

parents its gender and that meets the second condition. Third, if the parents decide they

want an abortion that provides an intention to kill. When they seek an abortion that meets

the fourth condition of making an effort to kill is forth condition. Finally the being is
killed because of that action. Therefore the First Precept of Buddhism - not to kill - is

violated and this is tantamount to killing a human being.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE FEMALE INFANTICIDE

Infanticide occurs in most cases as a way of restricting poverty and population.

Throughout history infanticide has been regarded as a productive and efficient way to

control starvation and poor standards of living caused by over population. The

implication is that by avoiding a girl, a family will avoid paying a large dowry on the

marriage of her daughter.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh termed female feticide "a national shame." It

brings many problems for not only the country itself but also the other countries

especially to neighboring countries. The sex ratio became a problem when the men were

ready to marry. Because of the lack of females since female population is lesser, many

men had no hope of marrying, raising a family, or supporting themselves; consequently,

they grouped together and began small-scale banditry throughout the province to steal

and provide for their families. Trafficking in person especially women become the

consequence of high incidence of female infanticide countries such as India, China and

some countries.

The women from neighboring countries became the victims of these practices.

Myanmar women have been imported or trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation

and other form of exploitation for instance women from neighboring countries were

being sold as surrogate mothers to such countries. The women are not imported as brides,
however, because foreign women are viewed as inferior. Rather, the women become

prostitutes. Women are also kidnapped, stolen, or bought and often sold on the open

market against their will within the countries. To get the money to buy women from these

"bride" markets, men from China and India will often go to other countries to work.

Some studies found out that there is also an increase in homosexuality since there is

declining female population within the countries.

PROPOSED ALTERNATIVES

1. Reinforce the implementation of existing laws and regulations on medical

tests which prohibit the sex-selective abortion.

2. Disseminate information on the Dowry Prohibition Act (1961) using mass

media and various activities to get public awareness.

RECOMMENDATIONS

India has not demonstrated sufficient progress in its law enforcement efforts to

address female infanticide. The immediate action that the government has to take is that

amniocentesis, where necessary, will be performed only in government or approved

medical institutions to prevent the practice of using amniocentesis for purpose of sex

determination. The banning of amniocentesis usage for sex determination should be

reinforced through law and practitioners indulging in or supporting such acts shall be

punished severely.

In order to combat the phenomenon, careful consideration of the location-specific

and cultural factors leading to the practice is necessary. To deal with a problem that has
roots in social behavior and prejudice, mere legislation is not enough. The government

has to undertake various activities to create awareness against the practice of prenatal

determination of sex and female foeticide. The long-term strategies should include

education and empowerment of women. Empowerment of rural marginalized women and

education to improve their lot will heighten their status in the society.
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http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view&a=369

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