Demographics expert Nicholas Eberstadt has warned that the practices of prenatal sex selection and sex-selection abortions are spreading around the globe, resulting in growing birth imbalances.  Far more boys than girls are being born.

Refuting the assumptions that preference for baby boys is a localized cultural phenomenon or due solely to coercive population programs, Eberstadt’s research reveals that imbalance is due to several factors: an existing preference for sons, a decrease in overall fertility, and the exponential increase in the use of technology which facilitates sex selection in the prenatal stages. He also emphasized that a rise in education levels does not slow the problem and in some cases is associated with increases in aborting baby girls.

According to Eberstadt, natural birth rates are about 105 males for every 100 females born. Some regions of the world are experiencing upwards of 115 boys born for every 100 girls, some are as high at 150 boys born for every 100 girls.  He warned delegates that this could just be the beginning and that the world is “moving to the realm of science fiction” as the ratio of baby boys to baby girls was already at levels “beyond nature.”  Citing a recent study, Eberstadt said that even now there are 20 million “missing” baby girls in Asia alone, that sex-selected abortions have permanently skewed the demographic balance of China and are in the process of skewing the demographic balance of India. He also showed the way that the trend has crept into Eastern Europe and Latin America, and that almost every African state is showing signs of vulnerability to the phenomenon.

Other researchers suggest that demographic imbalance causing a surplus of men who are unable to marry could foster growth of terrorism and organised crime.  Another foreseeable result is increased abduction and trafficking of women.

Prohibiting sex-selection abortions will probably not solve the problem.  When South Korea tried that, incidence of intentional abortion of girls jumped.  Eberstadt believes that the most likely solution is restricting all abortions.

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