Sex-Selective Abortion Bans
A sex-selective abortion ban (SSAB) is a law that allows a doctor to refuse to provide abortion care if they suspect a person is seeking an abortion due to a preference for the sex of the fetus.
Sex-selective abortion bans are fueled by racist stereotypes.
These bans are based on a stereotype that Asian American women end pregnancies because they prefer sons over daughters. Proponents of sex-selective abortion bans claim that these laws are necessary because Asians who come to the U.S. bring “backward” values with them. This stereotype is not only inaccurate—it is dangerous, ugly, and it encourages racial profiling in health care. These bans could lead to Asian American patients being singled out for special questioning and even being denied care.
Sex-selective abortion bans are abortion bans.
These laws are part of a strategy to ban abortion nationwide by targeting the reason behind a person’s decision to seek abortion care. These discriminatory laws particularly target women of color, and seek to stigmatize people’s decision to have an abortion.
It is never a government or politician’s place to decide whether a person should be pregnant. Anti-abortion politicians advance these bans without doing anything to address the underlying issues they use to justify them, including ableism, racism, and gender inequality.