Althouse: "Girls as young as one are being forced into sex change operations in India by parents desperate for a son."

June 27, 2011

"Girls as young as one are being forced into sex change operations in India by parents desperate for a son."

"Surgeons in the city of Indore are reported to be 'converting' hundreds of girls a year, who are subsequently pumped full of hormone drugs."

38 comments:

The Drill SGT said...: That cuts down on your dowry, but obviously has both surgery costs and is not an advantegous strategy for passing on your genes.; 6/27/11, 7:54 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: Come on, Althouse. I'm trying to get my ass on the bicycle for my morning 20 mile ride, and you keep posting this shit!

Now, I gotta know...

What do they do for a fake dick and balls?

Will they grow them on the head of mice, like on South Park? Was Mr. Garrison's new penis the way to do it?; 6/27/11, 7:55 AM
The Dude said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/27/11, 7:57 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: Hey, why not? Gender is just a social construct anyway. I'm sure it'll work out just fine.; 6/27/11, 7:59 AM
Anonymous said...: Here's some advice folks ... don't believe everything you read in a newspaper.

We really need some critical thinking in this country.; 6/27/11, 8:00 AM
Scott M said...: Is this yet another reason the Indian economy is poised to overtake us? Surgery revenue? We should fight back by widespread surgery in kind for women's collegiate softball and field hockey.

That'll show 'em.; 6/27/11, 8:08 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: Of course, when it comes to artificial pussy, the technology is quite advanced. I learned all about this on Mr. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina.

Key quote:

The first thing I'm going to do is slice your balls!; 6/27/11, 8:10 AM
Curious George said...: Subtraction through addition.; 6/27/11, 8:11 AM
Skyler said...: I got a bridge to sell you, too.; 6/27/11, 8:18 AM
David said...: What could go wrong?; 6/27/11, 8:21 AM
KCFleming said...: Putting a kitten in the oven don't make it a biscuit.

But this smells hoaxy.
Pics or it didn't happen.; 6/27/11, 8:24 AM
JAL said...: Primum non nocere.

First, do no harm.; 6/27/11, 8:40 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Three things:

If it's a one year old, I hardly think we can call that being "forced."

Considering India's the most "spiritual" place on Earth, and the popularity of their beliefs, here, this might be something we'd want to look into.

Where's your LGBT PRIDE?; 6/27/11, 8:44 AM
JAL said...: Sorry skeptics.

I lived in India.

Yes, there are all kinds of virulent rumors that fly around, but this actually has a sad whiff of possibility and truth.

Although for being such geeks and math whizzes (and spellers, too), one is hard pressed to figure out who they think these boys (and all the Chinese guys) are going to marry.

Not to mention the murders which will occur.

But there are huge differences in education in the social structure.; 6/27/11, 8:45 AM
Rialby said...: I guess that's better than being aborted?; 6/27/11, 8:49 AM
madAsHell said...: They have enough money for the surgery, but can't afford another child?

The story is bullshit!!; 6/27/11, 8:54 AM
vet66 said...: Waiting with bated breath for the cries of outrage from Hillary Clinton and the NOW organization and any feminist who can type on a keyboard.

Key noise of crickets...; 6/27/11, 8:55 AM
KCFleming said...: "this actually has a sad whiff of possibility and truth."

But what would be the point?

No balls, no sperm.
I think that's still a rule.

Plastic surgery won't get you any descendants.; 6/27/11, 8:56 AM
Fred4Pres said...: All to avoid having to pay a dowry. Seriously, that is what this is all about.

Mohammed make the dowry the burden of the man in order to avoid female infantcide. If there is a divorce, it becomes the settlement (she keeps the dowry). Perhaps India should do that too.; 6/27/11, 8:59 AM
rhhardin said...: Wm. Empson speculated somewhere in "The Structure of Complex Words" about an ancient Egyptian word meaning women or children, a combination it's hard to understand.

Possibly it meant something like "no good for fighting," he thought.

Maybe they want a fighter in the family.; 6/27/11, 9:35 AM
Phil 314 said...: Putting a whole new meaning into the "T" of
GLBT; 6/27/11, 9:47 AM
Daniel Fielding said...: JAL- wherein India do you live at? I am originally from Assam.

And the story about India being overrun with Engineering and Math and science whiz-kids in India is a myth at best. Sure there are people with those degrees, but how many of them can do anything original or innovative? What they are good at is at memorizing a bunch of info, and regurgitating said info at an exam. That is all they can do.; 6/27/11, 9:51 AM
ndspinelli said...: My Italian grandmother told my Irish mom she needed to eat broccoli rabe if she wanted a boy when she was trying to get pregnant[Irish don't have to try very hard getting pregnant..my mom was one of 13 kids]. My mom was 2 for 4 in the boy dept...that will keep you in the Majors.; 6/27/11, 10:02 AM
Anonymous said...: JAL said:

"...one is hard pressed to figure out who they think these boys (and all the Chinese guys) are going to marry."

I was wondering about that too. These people will all want daughters-in-law, and where do they think they're going to find them?; 6/27/11, 10:14 AM
Douglas said...: Reminds me of this great SNL sketch.; 6/27/11, 10:18 AM
Rialby said...: 164 Million girls missing...

Read the comments - they're priceless.; 6/27/11, 10:29 AM
Rialby said...: Sorry, 160 Million. Don't know why added an additional 4 Million. That won't be true for at least another year or so.; 6/27/11, 10:29 AM
edutcher said...: Well, they say Inja and Red China will go at each other one day.

Now we know what the winner gets.

rhhardin said...

Wm. Empson speculated somewhere in "The Structure of Complex Words" about an ancient Egyptian word meaning women or children, a combination it's hard to understand.

Possibly it meant something like "no good for fighting," he thought.

Maybe they want a fighter in the family

They'll be disappointed. They may have a guy's plumbing, but they still have the musculature of girls.; 6/27/11, 10:38 AM
Geoff Matthews said...: That has to be more expensive than a dowry.
I'm calling BS on this claim.; 6/27/11, 12:09 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: For those of you calling bullshit for logical reasons, you haven't learned much about Life, have you?; 6/27/11, 12:41 PM
JAL said...: @Daniel Fielding

Didn't get to Assam. Heard it is lovely.

Lived in Vadodra (Baroda, Gujarat) and Mussoorie (I could see Tibet from my porch ;-) )

As for who would do this ... I don't know but there is some pretty -- screwy -- superstitious? -- fantasy? --thinking at many levels of Indian culture.

As for fertility, they wouldn't think that far ahead (you mean having something that looks like a penis doesn't mean you can make babies?) And if the doctors are indeed quacks (licensed, but charlatans)and are working out of their own hospital (used to be doctors can own their hosptials in India) who knows what they are telling their marks.

But it may be about a male can provide for the parents when he becomes an adult. A female cannot. If the person has the gentitalia of a male there are still more opportunities available economically.

Awful.

As for geekiness -- the Indians who emigrate to the States are often high performers. Look at the developers listed on something like Photoshop. The finalists in the national spelling bees...

My husband taught at a small private techical school quite a while ago and yes -- it was all about rote learning and little innovation and creativity were in evidence. But I have a real sense that that has changed for many people in the years since then.

Two of my kids were born in India.

:-); 6/27/11, 12:56 PM
Kirby Olson said...: Many Americans would like to be a Sasquatch, and run around in the forest scaring hikers. I don't know why Obamacare doesn't pay for species change. It seems so skimpy in what it will accept. If someone would rather be a giraffe, or a hairy ape, why shouldn't they be able to do so?; 6/27/11, 1:04 PM
mariner said...: I was wondering about that too. These people will all want daughters-in-law, and where do they think they're going to find them?

That's easy.

Elsewhere in India, parents are dressing their little boys in dresses and preparing them for surgery to become little "girls".; 6/27/11, 3:22 PM
David said...: There's one time honored way of burning off excess males, and India and China are conveniently next door neighbors.; 6/27/11, 3:36 PM
Methadras said...: Hello, this is Susan, er, I mean Sam. Thank you for calling Dell Customer service.; 6/27/11, 3:59 PM
Ralph L said...: Titus will be very busy in his golden years.; 6/27/11, 7:24 PM
Jose_K said...: Rialby is right.100 millions womens are mising in India , aborted for being females or killed upon birth.
BTW: In Sweeden is against he law to tell the parents the sex of a future baby to avoid the same behaviour, yes, in Sweeden, but it is legal to abort because is a girl , so ruled a court after a woman took a peek and on knowing it was a girl aborted and was charged.; 6/27/11, 8:58 PM
Jose_K said...: They'll be disappointed. They may have a guy's plumbing, but they still have the musculature of girls
So, you never saw the East Germany swimming team?; 6/27/11, 9:01 PM