Sex-selective abortion: a relational approach

A critical application of Ruddick's model of maternal thinking is the best way to grapple with the ethical dilemmas posed by sex-selective abortion which I view as a "moral mistake." Chief among these is the need to be sensitive to local cultural practices in countries where sex-selective abortion is prevalent, while simultaneously developing consistent international standards to deal with the dangers posed by the use of sex-selective abortion to eliminate female fetuses.

[The embryo, the human and the humanized]

Since the moment of fecundation the human embryo is endowed with the properties of unity and uniqueness and its existence is therefore inviolable. Disputing arguments against this thesis are analyzed. Recent views of some biologists negate the human character to the embryo since the essence of a human being would be its cultural nature and ability to communicate. However, the embryo contains all the genetic information that will allow him to develop the ability to communicate. Any attempt to separate the 3 moments of time, past present and future is a definitive violation of ethics. A basic foundation of ethics is that present and future are implicit in the past and vice-versa. Finally, the idea that the unwanted child is not a cultural being should be discarded.

Unplanned childbearing and family size: their relationship to child neglect and abuse

Mothers from 198 low-income, female-headed families enrolled in child protective services because of child abuse or neglect were compared with an equal number of age-matched controls, to determine if unplanned childbearing and family size increase the risk of child neglect or abuse. Logistic regression analyses suggest that unplanned childbearing increases the risk of child abuse but not of child neglect. Large family size significantly raises the risk of both types of maltreatment, although this factor had a greater effect on the risk of abuse than on the risk of neglect. Finally, unplanned childbearing appears to be indirectly related to abuse through its effect on family size.