MUSD revision 4Final paper GPH - 26June 2017.pdf (387.02 kB)
Re-visioning evidence: Reflections on the recent controversy around gender selective abortion in the UK
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 06:57 authored by Maya UnnithanMaya Unnithan, Sylvie DubucReports in the British media over the last 4 years have highlighted the schisms and contestations that have accompanied the reports of gender selective abortions amongst British Asian families. The position that sexselection may be within the terms of the 1967 Abortion Act has particularly sparked controversy amongst abortion campaigners and politicians but equally among medical practitioners (and their professional organisation BPAS) who have hitherto tended to stay clear of such debates. In what ways has the controversy around gender-based abortion led to new framings of the entitlement to service provision and new ways of thinking about evidence in the context of reproductive rights? We reflect on these issues drawing on critiques of what constitutes best evidence, contested notions of reproductive rights and reproductive governance, comparative work in India and China as well as our involvement with different groups of campaigners including British South Asian NGOs. The aim of the paper is to situate the medical and legal provision of abortion services in Britain within current discursive practices around gender equality, ethnicity, reproductive autonomy, probable and plausible evidence, and policies of health reform.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Global Public HealthISSN
1744-1692Publisher
Taylor & FrancisExternal DOI
Issue
6Volume
13Page range
742-753Department affiliated with
- Anthropology Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2017-07-03First Open Access (FOA) Date
2018-07-14First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2017-07-03Usage metrics
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