The example of Mother Teresa, against female sex-selective abortions in India
Mumbai (AsiaNews)
- On the eve of the feast of Mother Teresa, her spirit "compels us to
fight against sex-selective abortion, female infanticide and feticide", says Dr.
Pascoal
Carvalho, a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, who invites people to
reflect on what he calls "the malaise of Indian society," a growing
phenomenon that is likely to alter the composition of the population of the
country. In
India
and in the world, the doctor says, "Mother Teresa is respected for her
love for every human being, and for her defense of the dignity and sanctity of
life from conception to natural death." For
this reason, the day tomorrow - the anniversary of the death of Blessed and Her
feast - is the best time to rethink the fight against everything that promotes
"a culture of death."
According
to the latest government census (2011), an average of 914 girls are born for
every 1000 males. Alarming,
given that despite the government's recent promotion of several measures and
awareness campaigns on the issue, the imbalance between males and females has
increased: in 2001, in fact, the sex ratio was 927 females per 1000 males. Since
1994, with the approval of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technologies (PNDT) Act in India it is
illegal to use special tests to determine the sex of the fetus. Under
the law, doctors must submit a list of patients on which, for reasons of pure
health, they have conducted such tests. However,
the PNDT did not help to curb the spread of sex-selective abortions and female
infanticide, and has even encouraged the spread of clandestine clinics.
"This
disturbing phenomenon - says Dr. Carvalho - is partly related to cultural
reasons: a patriarchal society that has always preferred a son." In
this context, "the female is considered to be a burden, especially economic:
to negotiate a good marriage, the family of the future wife must ensure a
substantial dowry." But
once married, the woman is not respected until they give birth to a child: for
this, said the doctor, "female feticide also has social implications: it empties
women of their value and them submissive to men. This is a serious
violation of human rights, and the darker side of our society. "
The
Missionary did not limit her work to ending violence against infants and
children. In
her acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize (1979), she said: "millions are dying deliberately by
the will of the mother. And this is what is the greatest destroyer of peace
today. Because if a mother can kill her own child - what is left for me to kill
you and you kill me - there is nothing between.? ". The fight against
female feticide, affirms Dr. Carvalho
"must then address all forms of abortion, because [abortion] destroys the
respect and sanctity of life. Mother Teresa promoted the value of human life in
words and deeds. Any human life, even that of those
not yet born. Let us repeat her words: "If
a child is not safe in her mother's womb, where else in the world will she be
safe?".
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09/04/2019 13:19
