Teenage pregnancy, western world & the social reforms

THIS WEEK Sarah Palin’s (The Republican VP nominee for the 2008 USA Election) teenage daughter gave birth to a baby boy. The new born has bought cheers to the family, and to the Republicans.

Teenage pregnancy is harmful for the health of mother and to the health of to-be-born baby (I assume that I need not specify figures & facts in support of this claim as this is an undisputed issue, if any reader disputes it, I can provide figure and facts). We have seen campaigns by “social activists” & “human rights organizations” to root out such evils from our world. But irony is that, though such evils are getting condemned in underdeveloped world (thanks to the effort of social reformers), such evils are getting celebrated in developed world.

The conservative groups in the USA have praised Palin’s daughter for upholding traditional values by deciding to have the baby instead of having an abortion. The Republican leadership, who faced a crashing defeat in 2008 Presidential elections, is also happier as it hopes to strengthen its base amongst the conservatives. The USA government has continued to distance itself from controversial topic, as always.

I am just wondering, if the western world would have reacted in the same way, if this event would have happened in some other part of the world. What if this “teenage pregnancy” would have been witnessed by the daughter of an Asian, African or Middle-Eastern national leader? What if the celebrated teenage mother was either Hindu or Muslim instead of being a Christian. Would the reaction of western society have been the same? I think that this same section which has termed the incidence as “act of upholding the traditional values” would have pounced upon “with allegations of violating the basic human rights and not protecting the women health”.

If there was an American economic interest in that region, the USA government would have even contemplated a strong military action to protect the human rights freedom in that country.

I hope that Indians have not forgotten the “social reforms” which were implemented in India during the “British Rule”. The “child marriage” was declared illegal. This was a great leap forward for the social progress of our country. But one should really suspect the motives of “British Rule”. Why were the “social reforms” forced upon to the Indian Society in form of “Legal Bindings” rather than “social awareness campaigns”. Was it just to humiliate the feeling of Hindu Masses? If not, why the Western world has not implemented any controversial “social reforms” (those reforms which contradict with their religious beliefs) in their own society?

If Hindus, or Muslims (or any other religion, tribe of sect) do something unscientific (some thing which can be disputed by science - in this case medical science), the western world takes upon them the responsibility of educating the “Backward Regions of the World”. But when Christians (which is the major religion in West) do some thing unscientific (like promoting and celebrating the ideas of teenage pregnancy), it is celebrated by the same western world as “an act of upholding the traditional values”. This is the irony of human kind, we always follow double standards - one set for our own culture, religion & country, another set for all others.

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