Asia for Life

I share some introductory story on Pro-Life Japan, and their involvement in promoting adoption. And we also examine Japan's utilitarian view of children.

Last year, a Muslim family welcomed quadruplets. This was technically legal, but their doctor strongly encouraged them to abort some of the babies. Today's episode discusses attitudes in Chinese society that make multiple pregnancies so hard, and my guess about why quadruplets are so rare in China.

*After recording this episode, I found several more references to quadruplets in China. While quadruplets seem to be rarer in China than elsewhere, they do exist.

(Stock photo: Girl quadruplets are seen at home in Luoxing Village in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, 25 July 2015, from @Imaginechina-Editorial.)

If you've been following the Hong Kong protests the past few weeks, you've probably seen news about the suicides, where people threw themselves from tall buildings in protest of Hong Kong's Extradition Bill, and more generally in protest of China's policies.

It's tragic. But it's also dangerous. I explain why I'm more worried about these suicides than about anything the government is doing in Hong Kong.

Joe Woodard

asiaforlife.com/blog

You might have seen the videos of Chinese drivers accidentally hitting pedestrians--and then making sure that they're dead. I saw a post on the Chinese blogosphere, about how if humans don't actually have human dignity, then what these drivers are doing is actually a reasonable use of human freedom.

He's right. If we don't have inherent dignity, then it's harder to argue why it doesn't sense to murder someone before they can sue you for millions of dollars and ruin the rest of your life.

Abdurrehim Heyit was an Uighur poet who died in custody. According to the Chinese government, it happened the day after he recorded a video saying he was in good health, and had never been abused.

For foreign women working in Japan, there's a possibility of getting pregnant. But if they're pregnant, there's not much possibility of keeping their jobs. This is the worst kind of sexism, and the government is finally realizing it.

Story and photo: japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/03/14/national/social-issues/japan-warns-firms-not-fire-pregnant-foreign-trainees-interns-fear-impact-work-status/

A woman from Guangdong died after her ninth abortion--all nine of them were girls. I talk about a guy I met who heard the story, and laughed.

News story: https://www.spuc.org.uk/news/news-stories/2016/march/woman-dies-during-ninth-forced-abortion

Photo: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peoplesdaily/article-3472581/Tragedy-pregnant-woman-dies-NINTH-abortion-leaving-three-orphaned-daughters-mother-law-desperate-grandson.html

South Korean women have a lot of injustices to deal with, and the feminist movement is convinced that abortion is the answer. The High Court might change the law next month.

"The revision is aimed at helping children lacking proper care due to abuse, poverty and other reasons, according to informed sources. It will be the first time for the special adoption system to be revised since its introduction in 1988."

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2019/01/28/language/lets-discuss-adoption-system/