Calling Canada a “haven” for sex-selective abortions, a noted medical journal is calling for regulations to stop doctors from disclosing the sex of a fetus until after an abortion is possible — a proposal pro-choice groups and gynaecologists say flies in the face of women’s rights in this country.

Female feticide — terminating a pregnancy because it’s a girl — has become a common practice in many Asian countries and it’s finding root in Canada with new immigrants, says an editorial published Monday by the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).

While the CMAJ said the practice is not widespread here, the Journal’s editors want doctors prohibited from revealing the gender of a fetus before 30 weeks into the pregnancy, when an “unquestioned abortion” is all but impossible.

Proponents for and against restricting female feticide say women’s rights are at the heart of their beliefs.

Read more here and check out the CMAJ editorial here. (Warning: PDF)

I don’t know how I haven’t blogged about this yet, because it’s amazing.

Background: A Georgia bill, proposed by Rep. Bobby Franklin, would make all abortions not only illegal, but possibly punishable by death.

But that’s not even the WTFiest part. It would also mandate that all miscarriages be investigated to make sure there was “human involvement whatsoever.” This, despite that something like a quarter of pregnancies result in miscarriages that we know of, and the causes of miscarriage are unclear. You can read all about it at Mother Jones and Feministing.

As many pundits have pointed out, there’s a pretty slim chance something this absurd bill will pass. After all, South Dakota’s recent attempt to legalize the murder of abortion doctors and pregnant women failed. But these bills are still dangerous for reinforcing misogyny, so it’s important to draw attention to their stunning ignorance.

The protest: American lay-days are protesting the bill by sending Franklin images of their used tampons (but not real used tampons, ‘cause that would be a biohazard or something).

And it all stemmed from this amazing open letter by Jill Filipovic.

As I’m sure you know, more than 50% of fertilized eggs —Georgia citizens! — naturally don’t implant, and are flushed out of the body during menstruation. I am personally concerned that my own murdering woman-body may have flushed out some human beings, and I may have flushed them down the toilet without knowing that I was disposing of Georgia citizens in such an undignified way. This must be remedied. I would like to be sure that I am not killing any more Georgia citizens — and that if I am, they are able to receive a proper funeral and not a burial at sea, and that our state police can dedicate valuable time and resources to investigating their deaths.

To that end, I attach a picture of my latest used tampon. I am preserving this tampon, as well as all of my other tampons, pads, feminine hygiene products and soiled panties from my current menstrual cycle, so that the Georgia State Police can come collect them as evidence. I would also be happy to drop the specimens off at your office, should you want to examine them yourself.

Conclusion: American women of the Internet, you are incredible.

UPDATE. A correction from Sady Doyle:

Actually, it stemmed from a woman named Devery Doleman; she originated the idea, which I shared & helped refine with Jill and others. Her post went up 24 hours after Jill’s (which was great) but her idea came first.