Ho Chi Minh City - Economic
growth in Vietnam
has resulted in an improvement in the quality of life, but has also helped
spread a lifestyle marked by selfishness and consumerism. These two elements
are a disruptive factor for the family, always the reference point for every
citizen, the erosion of social and moral values has also triggered a series of
consequences for the population, particularly youth. Among these, the most
significant - and negative at the same time - is the rise in the number of
abortions, that today in Ho Chi Minh City alone are "equal to the number
of births" with statistics to generate a situation of social unrest.
The latest figures reported by the Financial
Times, for the first quarter of 2012, indicate that growth of gross
domestic product (GDP) amounted to 4%. However, uncontrolled development goes
hand in hand with social injustices and problems that are bound to increase
with time. Professor Nguyen T.N., from the maternity ward of Tu Du hospital in
the former Saigon, told AsiaNews that "the number of abortions is extremely
worrying." Each year there are 700 thousand cases throughout Vietnam and
in Ho Chi Minh City alone, a total of 8.3 million inhabitants, there are
annually 100 thousand births and "as many" cases of voluntary
interruption of pregnancy.
The doctor and teacher reports the data from the structure he works in: in Tu
Du maternity hospital the number of births is about 45 thousand, but
"abortions exceed 30 thousand." And across the country, he adds, the
fact of "large or small fetuses" killed by their mothers varies
between 1.2 million and 1.6 million. 5% of mothers gave birth before age 18 and
15% before 20. To explain the phenomenon, critics and experts point the finger
at "pragmatism and consumerism."
Fr. Joseph, of the Archdiocese of Saigon, explains that "consumerism is
eroding the ethnic-cultural traditions of the Vietnamese people" and he confirms
that the new generations are imbued with "selfishness and
insensitivity." He hopes the authorities will intervene and collaborate
with religious leaders, particularly in sensitive sectors such as education and
health. "The efforts of religious organizations - says the priest - are
able to reduce social ills in family and social structures."
