Son Preference and Sex Selective Abortion Trang Trinh 1

Annotated Bibliography
Bharadwaj, P., & Lakdawala, L. K. (2013). Discrimination begins in the womb. Journal of
Human Resources, 48(1), 71-113.
The article is about how more women go to the clinics and receive prenatal treatment if
they are pregnant with a boy than when they are with a girl. This also suggests the issue
of sex-based discrimination in East and South Asia. Meanwhile baby boys receive great
care even when they are still the womb, baby girls are being aborted or neglected of care
that could consequence to their health.
This article is credible since it was published in 2013 in the Journal of Human Resources,
which suggests that it has been reviewed and revised quite recently by experts in the
field. The author affiliations of this article include assistant professors from different
universities in the U.S. The percentages of maternal tetanus vaccination comparison
between sex-selective prenatal cares will be used in the research paper.
Diamond-Smith, N., Luke, N., & McGarvey, S. (2008). 'Too many girls, too much dowry': son
preference and daughter aversion in rural Tamil Nadu, India. Culture, Health &
Sexuality, 10(7), 697. doi:10.1080/13691050802061665
The article proposes the reason for son preference in the town called Tamil Nadu, India.
Having a daughter is viewed as too much dowry for the family because she is a burden
on the family financially. Evidence also was given in the article through results of many
interviews with the women from different villages in Tamil Nadu. In addition, the authors
mention how there are laws that make sex-selective abortion illegal, however, there is no
reinforcement of those laws. These cases of sex-selective abortion were often ignored.
Son Preference and Sex Selective Abortion Trang Trinh 2

The article is credible because it is based on the study of many interviews of women who
have experienced son preferences and have made sex selection decisions. The results
presented in this article will be used in the research paper to provide statistics and
background for son preference in the views of people of India.
Cohen, I., & Sayeed, S. (2011). Fetal pain, abortion, viability, and the Constitution. Journal of
Law, Medicine & Ethics, 39(2), 235-242. doi:10.1111/j.1748-720X.2011.00592.x
This article is about the debate of should abortion be banned because of the pain that the
fetus have to endure during abortion. The authors explain that by twenty weeks of
development, the unborn baby can experience the pain, and there is evidence to support
this claim. In addition, there have been cases where unborn children show signs of pain
even before twenty weeks.
The article is credible because it was published in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics.
There are also detailed references in the article to support the claims. This information
will be used in the research paper as evidence of how sex-selective abortion should not be
continued. The mention of banning abortion in the state of Nebraska will constitute the
possibility of banning abortion in other states, and ultimately banning abortion in a global
scale.
Croll, E. J. (2000). Endangered daughters: Discrimination and development in Asia. Florence,
KY: Routledge.
Written by Elisabeth Croll, this book presents stories of daughters in Asian countries such
as China and India. These stories show a great deal of gender discrimination within Asian
families and society. Croll focuses on explaining the reasons behind the differences in sex
ratios and high numbers of missing girls in these countries. From son preference to
Son Preference and Sex Selective Abortion Trang Trinh 3

daughter discrimination, from family planning to gender reasoning, the author explains in
great details the extent of gender discrimination. To support the research, Croll provides
many tables, data charts, and statistics.
This book is a credible source because it was written by an anthropologist who has
dedicated 25 years of her life to conduct research on gender discrimination through
interviews, observations, and investigations. Her book was revised by many writers and
colleagues and supported by important organizations such as All-China Womens
Federation and UNICEF. The resources in this book will provide statistics support and
stories to the research paper. The sex ratios at birth data will be used to show how sex-
selective abortion contributes to those numbers.
Grant, V. J. (1998). Maternal personality, evolution, and the sex ratio: Do mothers control the
sex of the infant? London: Routledge.
Written by Valerie Grant, this book is about how womens personality can determine the
sex of the baby. She gives resources of how the X and Y chromosomes along with
mothers hormones of reproduction can control the sex. Grant also describes the history
of sex determination and how it is actually performed in clinics nowadays. The methods
are compared with how zoologists determine the sex of the offspring in animals. Even
though there are ways to determine the sex of the infant, it does not guarantee the success
of the determination.
This book resource provides evidence to support the science aspect behind sex selection.
And it will be used to explain further details in the research paper. Even though the book
was published quite a while ago, the history information needed for the research paper is
Son Preference and Sex Selective Abortion Trang Trinh 4

still valid and the author had gone through many sources and studies to prove her
standpoint. Therefore, the book is a credible source.
Hvistendahl, M. (2011). Unnatural selection: Choosing boys over girls, and the consequences of
a world full of men. New York, NY: Public Affairs.
This book provides information about the problem of sex ratios in India and China. The
author gives many examples of how the world would become if this issue does not get
addressed. Men from China and Taiwan have to go to other countries such as Vietnam to
find a bride within a short amount of time and face the challenges of language barrier. By
doing this, the sex ratios of Vietnam would also be affected.
This book is a credible source because it was published only three years ago. The author
has gone through many resources and traveled to China to do research. The information
given from this book will help contribute to the argument that sex selection results in
huge consequences to all the countries involving with this issue.
Purewal, N. K. (2010). Son preference: Sex selection, gender and culture in South Asia. Oxford,
NY: Berg Publishers.
This book revolves around the idea of son preference and sex selection. Purewal refers to
this idea as foeticide fatigue. She defines the symptoms of foeticide fatique as people
who are continuously trying to find new technologies and clinics to fulfill the sex
selection of their babies. The purpose of the book is to discuss and debate this issue more
in a global scale.
This book is a credible source because it was written by a person who went through
gender discrimination as a girl being born in an Indian family. Purewal used stories told
by her relatives, friends, and even strangers along with her own experiences to reflect the
Son Preference and Sex Selective Abortion Trang Trinh 5

views on son preference. She traveled, conducted observations, and participated in focus
groups throughout India. The work from this book will be used throughout the research
paper. One chapter in particular will be very useful because it shows the accounts of
young women who had to face the challenges of gender discrimination.
Sharma, M. (2008). Twenty-first century pink or blue: How sex selection technology facilitates
gendercide and what we can do about it. Family Court Review, 46, 198215. doi:
10.1111/j.1744-1617.2007.00192.x
The article is about how women started using Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)
to determine the sex of their unborn babies. Furthermore, they use this technology to
provide an easy path toward gender preference. Many would abuse the advances of ART
and abort their unwanted baby girls. Sharma describes the three main reasons for sex
determination: (1) culture or religious belief, (2) economic status involving girls, (3)
gender balance within the family.
This article is a credible source because it was written by the author who have achieved a
Juris Doctorate and worked for childrens services. She has developed a great interest in
the sex selection crisis after trying to determine the sex of her own daughter. The
information about ART, vitro fertilization (IVF), separating sperm, selecting embryos,
etc. will be very beneficial to the research paper because it provides efficient background
of the technology and techniques used in sex selection.
Smith, C. (2012). Sex-selection abortion--a war on baby girls. National Right to Life
News, 39(3), 5.
The article provides great examples of how Planned Parenthood clinics feel about sex-
selective abortions. Surprisingly, Planned Parenthood staffs are ready and willing to
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facilitate secret abortions for sex-trafficking victims. They also agree to show an
undercover female investigator how to do a sex-selective abortion. The author of the
article also mentions the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act. And if this Act is passed, it will
punish the people who contribute to acts related to sex-selective abortion.
The article is credible because it was published in a newspaper. In addition, it also
correctly cites and relates evidence to many sources that have been verified as credible.
The Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act and Planned Parenthood information will be used in
the research paper to show that sex-selective abortion does not only occur in Asian
countries but also close to home.
The World Bank. (2011). Poverty and social exclusion in India. Washington, D.C: World Bank
Publications.
This book is a report written from people who work for The World Bank. It shows the
social class system of India and how poverty, lack of education, and traditional culture
contribute to the continuing of this system. It talks about the social exclusion and the
inequality between the social groups. Women and the poor suffer the most from this
exclusion.
The extent of treatments that Indian women received throughout their lives from
examples in the book will be used in the research paper to justify how these cultures
prefer boys over girls. This book is a credible source because it was written and published
recently by a team of leaders from The World Bank. It received many comments through
discussions and advisory group meeting in The World Bank. In addition, the Report has
been discussed with the Government of India.
Son Preference and Sex Selective Abortion Trang Trinh 7

Tiefenbrun, S., & Edwards, C. (2008). Gendercide and the cultural context of sex trafficking in
China. Fordham International Law Journal, 32(3), 731-780.
This article explains how sex preference creates gendercide and ultimately results in sex
trafficking in China. In order to stop the sex trafficking, the Chinese society and
government need to stop the discrimination against women and discontinue the son
preference tradition. The article is written to persuade the Chinese to revise their One-
Child Policy and help eliminate the deaths of millions of innocent baby girls and women.
The article is credible because it was written and submitted to the Fordham International
Law Journal. In order for the article to be published, it has to be reviewed and revised by
the journal. The resources written in this article will be used in the research paper to
prove the unethical aspects of sex selection. It will also help provide a little background
of China One-Child Policy.
Wilkinson, S. (2010). Choosing tomorrows children: The ethics of selective reproduction.
Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press.
This book presents and describes real cases of selective reproduction in Scotland and the
USA. Wilkinson, the author of the book, provides the definition of selective reproduction.
This definition includes not only cases of sex-selective reproduction, but also other
incidents involving several attempts to avoid diseases and disabling of the unborn child.
He discusses the ethical duties and virtues that parents are supposed to have toward their
children and the children should be seen as gifts and they have the right to decide their
own future.
This book is a credible source because it was published within the last five years. It was
supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Keele University, and the
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Welcome Trusts Biomedical Ethics Programme. This book has also been revised and
commented on by many of Wilkinsons colleagues. An important issue that will be used
in the research paper is the ethics of gender discrimination from sex selection. Wilkinson
provides many useful valid arguments about this topic in his book. Examples of cases
given by the author will also be included in the paper to provide supports for the thesis.