Changsha Changhai Hospital
Naturally Protect Your Uterus
Painless Induced Abortion Surgery
Public Welfare Compensates for the Lowest Price: 480 RMB
[$70 USD]
Includes Comprehensive Care
We'll Love You and Give You Good Care!
That's what this sign, on the back of all the public bus seats, says.
We see lots of ads like this.
Naturally Protect Your Uterus
Painless Induced Abortion Surgery
Public Welfare Compensates for the Lowest Price: 480 RMB
[$70 USD]
Includes Comprehensive Care
We'll Love You and Give You Good Care!
That's what this sign, on the back of all the public bus seats, says.
We see lots of ads like this.
Abortion is common, accepted, cheap and accessible. Why?
- recent history of Marxist (Maoist, to be more precise) ideology
- one-child-only policy
- developing nation, developing family planning
Telling Conversations
This fall, before I was pregnant, I was discussing abortion with a 23 year-old Chinese friend. She thought that I was indirectly asking her to help me get an abortion. Without batting an eyelid she said, "If you want to get an abortion, I can help take you there. It's no problem."
Last night I had four sophomore girls over for supper & cookie-making. (Drew is gone on Friday nights for D-group.) We discussed adoption. One girl said, "I believe the child would prefer to die, rather than not have a family, so I think it's better to have an abortion."
By the way, adoption is almost unheard of in China, because "blood" and patrilineal descent is so important. Chinese culture is also very strongly in-group/out-group -- meaning that the divide between insiders and outsiders in any unit of society is quite pronounced. We have siblings and cousins who are adopted, and our Chinese friends cannot comprehend that these loved ones are truly, truly, family. For the Chinese, I wonder how this view may affect their understanding of our adoption into our heavenly Father's family?
But Compared to Russia...
Here's how China compares to England/Wales, Russia, the US, Spain and South Africa. I don't know what year this graph is from, but it's cited to the UN. Russia had more abortions than live births...astounding. Maybe our Russia expert who reads this blog can speak to that in the comments?
As always, thanks for taking time out to read these posts.
- Rachel
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Wow, Rachel...this is so hard to believe. thank you for sharing it with us. lifting up the Chinese people so that they can know adopting love.
ReplyDeleteSo then, what is your response? I know you are being such a light!! XOXO
ReplyDeleteHey, Rach.... just something to add here:
ReplyDeleteAnother reason that adoption is uncommon in China is that it is uncommonly difficult to adopt. I have known families that are willing, even longing, to adopt, but they have been precluded from doing so by the laws (often local regulations, which are sometimes more strictly enforced than central regulations). For example, prospective parents must be of a certain age; sometimes they need a certain income level; they must not have any children of their own (i.e. you can't adopt a second child) in many cases; etc.
There are many reasons for that, most are cultural. For example, for a while people would adopt what were called "little daughter-in-laws" for their sons, raise them together, and marry them off at an appropriate age. Laws like this also help limit child traficking.
So, there are many reasons why adoption is not a part of Chinese life. (The overall situation in Korea is similar in some ways... worth talking to any Korean friends you have about it, if you have a chance.)
You're right, though... the idea that someone adopted becomes a full-blood family relative is pretty unfathomable to most of the people I've talked to, too. But those who are the most open-minded about it tend to be Family themselves, oddly enough. Maybe /being/ adopted makes you more willing to adopt another? :)
Good post, Rach. Keep them coming!
Thinking of you all,
~bits
Bitsy, thanks for sharing that.
ReplyDeleteIt's awful here in Russia in respect of both the abortion and adoption problems. Don't know if there are any statistics that can be believed, but what we see and hear is terrifying. Am no expert of the question, but abortion rate is really high and maybe it comes from our unstable social & political situation (seems like we're rolling back to totalitarism again); in the Soviet Days it was no better, only that abortions were illegal and many women died trying to do it themselves, using improvised means of with some quack's help.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post and your blog in general! it makes me think about certain things a lot.
scary statistics... the Father must be so grieved to see this. We encountered some of this in France. There, when tests are run during pregnancy, if anything is found wrong or possibly wrong, it's assumed that the mother will abort so that the child doesn't become a burden on society. I had to be very clear about my wishes when seeing my doctor... I think in 7 months, we saw 3 people who were disabled or in wheelchairs. It's scary how acceptable it is, but I hadn't realized abortion had reached this point. Anyway, we'll be thinking of you and China and Russia.
ReplyDelete