Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Birth Tourism

"Anchor babies" is a derogatory term used for children born in the United States who's parents don't live in the country or are not citizens. The correct term to use is "birth tourism". The debate of this topic has been discussed since the 1860's when Chinese workers came to build railroads in California and ended up having children. The 14th Amendment stated that "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States". This amendment allowed for families who wanted their children to have the freedoms the United States offered, to come into the country just to have their child. Today, many different types of people from many different countries are said to be doing this. In class, we watched clips from the movie, "No Mas Bebes", which was about the sterilization of Latina women. They were asked to sign a form of consent, but this was done without their knowledge or in the middle of childbirth. What was most interesting to me, was how a white male doctor in the film, had no doubts that these women did not know what they were signing.

The article and paper we read not only talked about Latina women and families having their children in the U.S., but also about Asian women and families doing the same. The paper focused on the lives of Chinese workers in the 1860's and the treatment they received for their race. "Native-born Americans and white immigrant groups (particularly the Irish) turned to mob violence to drive out Chinese miners." This treatment makes it clear as to why families have not tried to gain citizenship but wanted a better life for their children instead. If it were me, I would want my own child to have a better life, even if that meant giving birth in a different country. I believe the overall treatment of this women is not fair and that maybe changing the amendment could resolve the issue.

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