Feminism and Cultural Relativism in Human Rights Discourse: Sex-determi

Feminism and Cultural Relativism in Human Rights Discourse Sex-determination Test in IndiaABSTRACT Feminists and ethnic relativists are highly life-sustaining of human rights even if their criticisms have taken two diametrically opposed sides. This has created a conflict between the two groups. In this paper, I summarize the views of feminists and cultural relativists and then show that there are many similarities between them despite their differences, for they share a common ground concerning human rights discourse. Based on the similarities, I believe that both must work together on this matter by making changes in an inclusive way with regard to human rights violations. This is original not only at the international level but also at national levels. To demonstrate this, I analyze the issue of the sex-determination test in India and show that if feminists and cultural relativists joined hands, then the problem of aborting female fetuses in India (due to cultural conditioning a nd leading to the larger problem of adverse sex ratios) could be resolved. I conclude by proposing that medical technology could be channeled in the direction of progress if feminists and cultural relativists work jointly for the promotion of womens rights by recognizing diverse voices of women crossways race, class, age, culture, sexual orientation and wealth. Recently, during the world conferences organized by United Nations in Vienna, Cairo and Beijing, the human rights discourse has taken different forms and have created bitter differences among different camps. In these international conferences, feminists claim victory over cultural relativists as feminists were able to reaffirm womens human rights. (1) Feminists and cultural relativists are the... ...(5) See Claude Ake, The African scope of Human Rights, Africa Today, Vol. 32, number 5 (1987)(6) Hilary Charlesworth, What are Womens International Human Rights?, Human Rights of Women, supra note 25, at 617.(7) See Shashi Th aroo, The Universality of Human Rights and their Relevance to create Countries, Nordic Journal of International Law, Vol. 142 (1990(8) See Radhika Balakrishnan, The Social Context of Sex Selection and the Politics of Abortion in India, Power and Decision The Social assert of Reproduction, by Gita Sen and Rachel C. Snow, 266-283 Amartya Sen, The Economics of Life and Death, Scientific American, (May), 40-47.(9) See the growth of population chart in Amulya Ratna Nanda, Census of India, 1991, Series-1, Registrar General & Census Commisioner, India, Statement 2, 21.(10) Bombay slick Reporter, 203, (1988) 2-7.