In addition to abortion legislation, China has had a one-child policy for years. A second child is allowed if there are more than sufficient financial resources available and if (as proven by practice) at least one of the two children is a boy. However, the one-child policy is not quite what it seems.
The one-child policy
China introduced the one-child policy in 1979. This policy means that in principle one may only have one child or there must be sufficient financial resources for a second child.
Families who do not comply with the legal limit are punished: they have to pay a fine, they can lose their jobs, they are arrested and imprisoned or a forced abortion is carried out.
Over the years, the policy has been adjusted and relaxed, but this is not always visible in practice.
Abortion in China
In China, a pro-abortion stance has been enforced for many years, but it is disguised in the laws of the provinces. National legislation requires doctors to recommend abortion when the baby has a serious hereditary disease or a ,serious malformation, or endangers the pregnancy and/or the health of the mother. National legislation also provides incentives for abortions. However, the provincial legislation clearly reveals the government’s true purpose.
The true purpose of abortion legislation
In county law, there are many “reasons” set forth by the county for which the state requires an abortion. Such ,reasons, include:
- ,unauthorized, pregnancies
- do not have the opportunity to obtain birth certificates
- inappropriate timing for a second child.
- In some provinces you must have an abortion if you are young or unmarried and the state will provide an incentive for the poor if they have an abortion.
In these ways it is possible for every province to have an abortion performed (mandatory) for everyone.
An abortion can be performed in China up to and including the eighth month of pregnancy!
Nowadays a fetus is viable from 26 weeks …
A pregnancy must be ‘legal’
Whether the pregnancy is legally ‘legal’ depends on whether the parents’ pregnancy history and whether they are qualified to have a (new) child and whether the child quota in the village’s annual plan is already full or not. The rules differ per area.
The process of assessing whether the pregnancy is ‘legal’ may include the issuance of a formal certificate from the local family planning authority. However, research from two urban areas shows that this can be made very complicated and is more than just a formality.
Abortion of girls
Every year, according to researchers, perhaps a million girl fetuses are prematurely aborted and tens of thousands of girl babies are abandoned; the babies are regularly left in garbage dumps around Beijing, sometimes even while they are still alive.
Family and community demand a boy, so to speak. Common statements are:
,A boy will bring status., ,
He will continue the family line,, ,Boys are best because they can work, and ,If my daughter has a son , everyone will celebrate.,
In a temple in Beijing, women even come to pray that the fetus in their womb is that of a boy. Chinese tradition despises the girl child. And this powerful cultural preference for sons is increased by the one-child policy.
,Fortunately, there are a number of completed pregnancies with a girl baby that are not registered. This is often the only way to keep the child alive, but it has child is then not entitled to medical care, education and support that is normally made available by the local authorities.