Comments on: Babies in need

By: Mary Siever

Mary Siever — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 22:28:15 +0000

Well, yes, that makes sense. But I still think it is mismanagement of resources. And I don't mean the government should give handouts, but teach people how to make the most of their land, less exploitation of the poor populations, change the marriage requirement laws, provide better education etc. For example, right now, it is horrendously expensive to marry daughters off, the bride's family is expected to pay exorbitant dowries, as well, there is often blackmail and exploitation of the girls themselves, and as of families. And this isn't just in India itself, but from families who live abroad, such as here in Canada, who arrange marriages with girls from their homelands. It's morally reprehensible, but for many families, they don't have an option other than this. It's a world away from how we live here. We don't see how anyone could be forced to accept such a situation, but they don't have the same choices we have.

By: rick

rick — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 21:15:58 +0000

Every child that they have and can't support is a child of over-population by my reckoning. Not planet overpopulation, but regional overpopulation.

By: Mary Siever

Mary Siever — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 20:45:55 +0000

I already do that, as best I can of course. And there are groups that do that as well (Billings Method, for example).

But the earth can sustain everyone as long as it is managed right. It isn’t “over population” that is the problem, it is mismanagement of the world’s resources. Already, many countries, such as ours, are threatening to suffer from under-population in years to come.

I don’t know much about this site, but this isn’t the first place I have heard about this:

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=19076

It’s not only a matter of adoption, it’s a matter of creating the best resources available to support people. And people in these countries aren’t having huge amounts of children, and many of the children they DO have, die very young, so the idea that over population is the culprit seems rather suspect to me.

By: rick

rick — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:30:19 +0000

Start by supporting efforts to spread knowledge about family planning to 3rd world countries. Babies that aren't born do not suffer.

As far as those children currently suffering in those countries, there aren't enough people in the planet to adopt them all. It's the curse of third world population explosions.

By: Mary Siever

Mary Siever — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 23:34:11 +0000

Rick

Having seen people who suffer from mental illness (for example post partum psychosis) as well as not knowing every circumstance a person is in, such as these parents in poor conditions in India, I don't pretend to know their minds, or to judge them. I agree that it is horrific to kill a child, especially one's own. But the answers don't lie in condemnation, but in helping people. It is easy for us to say that, here in our comfortable homes with our jobs and modern conveniences and government supports. We don't know what desperate conditions they are in. But the tragedy is in the loss of these babies' lives and I have this overwhelming desire to help the situation, I just don't know where to start right now.

By: rick

rick — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 00:36:00 +0000

The real tragedy is that there are that many unenlightened people on our planet.

Any parent who possesses the ability to kill their own child is a little less human, in my view.

Better to not have children at all.

By: Mary Siever

Mary Siever — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:50:16 +0000

I should say, it is such a tragedy that this is the result, so many girls are put to death, not that the girls themselves are a tragedy.

By: Mary Siever

Mary Siever — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:30:17 +0000

Another story

I came across this after reading a news article (second link) about a newborn being found buried alive in rural India.

I do see that girls are a financial hardship for many of these families, and it is such a tragedy. You hear of babies being adopted from China, to save their lives but it looks like India needs this too. Why don't we hear about the desperate plight of these poor baby girls in India with the same passion as we hear about the plight of babies in China?