Sex-selective abortion is probably mostly thought of as a practice in India or China, where overpopulation has led to people needing to keep their families small but still wanting male children due to the priority placed on sons. Traditionally, sons carry on the family name, get educated, make money, and take care of their parents in old age. Moreover, in India, having a son can mean receiving a dowry, money paid by the bride's family at the time of marriage. As a consequence of this thinking, sex-selective abortion has continued despite being outlawed. BBC estimates that from 2000 to 2010, as many as eight million female fetuses may have been aborted solely because of their sex in India alone.
The problem sex-selective abortion presents is complex. If a woman has the right to choose, does she have right to abort a baby based on its sex? Is that an immoral practice, or simply pro-choice? Should sex-selective abortion be regulated?
There is a deep cultural basis for sex-selective abortion that further encourages the practice, though it is not something that I personally agree with or believe should be regulated by the government.
I agree the governments should not prohibit abortion, and that it should still remain a right to those who want to receive one. In order to battle sex-selective abortions, countries need to educate against patriarchal ideals and encourage a more substantial position for women in their societies.