Anchor Baby and birth tourism
Q. What is ‘Anchor baby’?- Published on 01 Jun 16a. Unwanted child given birth reluctantly as abortion is illegal
b. Using birth of child to get economic benefits
c. Using birth of child to gain citizenship
d. Giving birth to a child for adoption purposes only
ANSWER: Using birth of child to gain citizenship
- Birth tourism is travel to another country for the purpose of giving birth in that country.
- "Anchor baby" is another related term which can have negative connotations. Reasons for the practice include access to the destination country's healthcare system, circumvention of China's one-child policy and in countries that recognize jus soli birth right citizenship for the child.
- The United States and Canada are popular destinations for birth tourism.
- Another target of birth tourism is Hong Kong, where the right of abode is awarded to Chinese citizens at birth instead of citizenship.
- Asians are being criticized by the US for practicing such methods for gaining citizenship.
- While studies by the Pew Research Centre and the Centre for Immigration Studies estimate that nearly 300,000 children a year are born in the U.S. with at least one parent who is an undocumented immigrant, nearly 70 per cent of them come from Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras, and not China (Asia).
