Arizona Governor Signs Law Banning Prenatal Sex-Selection

By Samantha Singson | March 30, 2011

In a move angering abortion advocates, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer just signed a law banning sex-selected abortion – the first law of its kind in the US. Reuters reports:

Backers of the measure said the ban is needed to put an end to sex- and race-related discrimination that exists in Arizona and throughout the nation. They insist the issue is about bias rather than any broader stance on abortion.

“Governor Brewer believes society has a responsibility to protect its most vulnerable — the unborn — and this legislation is consistent with her strong pro-life track record,” a spokesman said.

But opponents have maintained that while such abortions may be happening in other countries like China, no clear evidence can found of it occurring in Arizona.

Demographers estimate that as many as 100 million baby girls are missing worldwide due to the practice of sex-selective abortion. While the majority of those cases take place in Asia, demographers are starting to note irregular skews in sex ratio at birth outside the region, even amongst Asian-American population here in the US.

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