The morality of freedom and the patriarchal bargain: A response to Sawitri Saharso

Sawitri Saharso's (2005) contention that some women's decision to have sex-selective abortions constitutes a form of contextual morality is explored. Difficulties with Saharso's consequentialist & intrinsicalist understandings of contextual morality are illuminated; specifically, it is stressed that her notion of contextual morality tenuously rests upon the assumptions that all women are equally autonomous moral agents & that gendered exploitation of women would be eliminated if all women possessed equal opportunities for challenging their cultural traditions. Attention is subsequently dedicated to questioning Saharso's contention that women can choose to have sex-selective abortions yet remain moral agents; it is countered that such women actually reinforce patriarchal subordination of women & that agreements to have sex-selective abortions should be interpreted as moral mistakes. 5 References. J. W. Parker