Oakland Blasts Abortion Bans Based on Asian Stereotypes

Guest Post by Avani Mody


NAPAWF members at Oakland City Hall, coming out against sex-selective abortion bans.
On March 17, Oakland became the second city, after San Francisco, to pass a ban on sex-selective abortion bans. This is a huge victory for women, and in particular Asian American women. But why? What is a sex selective abortion ban?

Sex-selective abortion bans are an attempt by Republicans lawmakers to take away abortion rights. This time they are doing it using deceptive stereotypes of Asian American women. Much of the language around these bans indicates that Asian Americans do not value the lives of daughters. Their "evidence" is the high rate of female infanticide in Asia... because, you know, the situations of Asians abroad and Asians here in the U.S. are clearly the same. In an attempt to undermine abortion rights, they are exploiting a real women's rights issue abroad and putting Asian American women in harm's way -- all under the deceptive guise of equality. Oh, the irony.

Yet despite the intention to limit all women's reproductive rights, this logic is working. These Republican lawmakers are playing on the racist and anti-immigrant fears of Americans. Since 2010, it has passed in five states including Arizona and North Carolina, which have some of the fastest-growing Asian populations.

Attacking abortion rights by throwing Asians under the bus

San Francisco resolution opposes this trending abortion ban


Guest Post by Linda Yang

I don't know about you, but going to the lady doctor's office -- or any doctor for that matter -- has never been a walk in the park for me. Reclining on that table covered by a large piece of paper napkin from the waist down, staring at the gray-green drop ceiling, I certainly never feel my most confident or assertive self. Now imagine that instead of focusing on your physical wellbeing, your doctor is guessing whether you are the kind of Asian who is asking about an abortion because you prefer boys over girls. And if they do suspect it, is obligated to deny you abortion services.

South Dakota House passes racist anti-abortion bill. Because of all the Asians.

NAPAWF calls the sex-selective abortion ban "a wolf in sheep's clothing"


In the heated competition between states over who can pass the shittiest laws... I give you South Dakota, which has created an ugly cocktail of racist, anti-immigrant rhetoric mixed in with anti-choice legislation. Republican legislators are trying to pass an anti-abortion law, arguing it necessary because of the influx of Asian immigrants to the state. Why? Because Asians abort their female children, they say.

GOP Lawmaker: We Need to Ban Sex-Selective Abortions Because of Asian Immigrants

Last week, the South Dakota House voted 60 to 10 to pass HR 1162, a bill that would ban abortions based on the sex of the fetus, or "sex-selective" abortions. Proponents of the bill seem to be leaning hard on the argument that the ban is necessary because of the state's burgeoning populations from parts foreign. Huh?

Because, as state representative Stace Nelson whitemansplained, "the rest of the world does not value the lives of women as much as I value the lives of my daughters." He apparently picked up this wisdom during the many years he spent in Asia as a Marine. Nice try with the faux feminism, Senator.

We call bullshit. The National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum calls the ban nothing more than "a wolf in sheep's clothing," and that sex-selective abortion bans perpetuate negative stereotypes about Asian American women. They've launched an online petition calling on the South Dakota Legislature not to pass HR 1162:

guest post by shivana jorawar: she had a heartbeat, too -- remembering savita halappanavar

For days now, I've been putting myself in Savita Halappanavar's shoes.

I'm expecting. Seventeen weeks in, piercing pain sends me to the hospital. For three days, I'm miscarrying. There's no hope for my child and my own health is fading. For three days, I'm in physical agony and doctors refuse my pleas to terminate the pregnancy to save my life. The child won't survive, but there is a heartbeat and doctors fear terminating will violate my country's laws. The unthinkable happens.

The tragedy that ended Savita's life put a human face on the abortion issue. People are demonstrating in droves and even the Indian government is pressuring Ireland to change its laws. One demonstrator held a placard reading, "Savita had a heartbeat, too."