Abortion in China is legal only in medically required cases.[1][2][3] In the past virtually universal access to contraception, abortion was a common way for China to contain its population in accordance with its now-defunct one-child policy,[4] which was removed in 2015 in favor of a two-child policy, which in turn was replaced in 2021 by a three-child policy. China has prohibited abortion in non-medical cases, making it mandatory for a woman to present medical reasons for abortion.[1][5][6]
History[edit]
In the early 1950s, the Chinese government made abortion illegal other than when 1) the mother had a preexisting condition, such as tuberculosis or pernicious anemia, that would cause the pregnancy to be a threat to the mother's life; 2) when traditional Chinese medicine could not settle an overactive fetus and spontaneous abortion was expected; and 3) when the mother had already undergone two or more Caesarean sections.[7] Punishments were written into the law for those who received or performed illegal abortions.[7]
In 1954 and 1956, the law was extended to include other pre-existing illnesses and disabilities, such as hypertension and epilepsy, as well as allowed women working in certain types of occupations to qualify.[7] Women who had already had four children and became pregnant four months after giving birth to their last child also qualified for an abortion.[7]
These restrictions were seen as the government's way of emphasizing the importance of population growth.[7] The scholar Nie Jing-Bao explains that these laws were relaxed in the late 1950s and early 1960s with the intent of reducing the number of deaths and lifelong injuries women sustained due to illegal abortions as well as serving as a form of population control when used in conjunction with birth control.[7] Abortion was legalized in 1988.[8]
In 2004, Guizhou was the first province to enact a ban on abortions in non-medically necessary cases after 14 weeks of pregnancy. Other Chinese provinces such as Jiangsu, Hunan, Qinghai, Anhui, Henan, and the city of Shanghai have followed suit with varying restrictions on abortions after 14 weeks. In 2018, Jiangxi province issued guidelines stipulating that women more than 14 weeks pregnant must have signed approval from three medical professionals confirming an abortion is medically necessary before any procedure.[9]
China published new national guidelines to limit abortion for non-medical cases in 2021, with the government stating that it will now aim to reduce the number of abortions performed for "non-medical purposes" and promote instead alternate methods of contraception and birth control, and increase spendings on social programs aimed at improving access to pre-pregnancy health care services and post-childbirth family planning services. However, restrictions on birth control methods have occurred, such as a ban on vasectomies and the limiting of access to contraception.[10][11] That change in policy is seen by many analysts as being motivated by the declining birth rate in China.[12][5][6] China requires that women have a medical reason to obtain an abortion.[1]
Statistics[edit]
Exact statistics on the number of abortions performed annually are hard to come by as not all abortions are registered and Family Planning statistics are usually considered state secrets.[13] However, in 2008, there were an estimated 13 million abortions performed, and approximately 10 million abortion pills sold.[13] Induced abortions, including late-term or even after birth killing, are more common in urban areas, where couples may only have one child.[14] Before the one-child policy was lifted, it was typically permissible to have a second child if a "second-birth permit" was granted, costing at least 4,000 yuan (US$600). [15]
By the 1970s, abortion was officially termed a "remedial measure" for realising China's goals of controlling the population.[16]
Sex-selective abortion[edit]
The exception to the otherwise general permissibility of abortion in China is that the practice of pre-natal sex determination and sex-selective abortions for non-medical reasons are illegal.[17][18] It is argued that sex-selective abortion continues to be one of the key factors in the notably imbalanced sex-ratio in China, as the imbalance cannot be explained solely by the underreporting of female births or by excess female infant mortality.[19] In 2001, 117 boys were born to every 100 girls.[19] These trends are explained by the persistence of a preference for sons in Chinese families.[20]
In 2005, the government began an Action Plan consisting of ten policies with the aim of normalising the sex ratio of newborns by 2010.[21] Under this plan, sex-selective abortion was outlawed, as was prenatal sex diagnosis, and harsher punishments were implemented for violating both. Other policies include controlling the marketing of ultrasonic B machines and improving the systems used by medical and family planning organisations to report on births, abortions and pregnancies.[21]
Family planning[edit]
The importance of abortions as a family planning tool was evident through the extensive implementation of medical abortions (abortion induced by pills, which can be performed in early pregnancy) in China. In fact, such abortions were legalized in China in 1988, earlier than any other place and are already produced in a large scale in China for many years. It is unclear whether the efficiency of the procedure reaches the high success rates it has in many western countries, but it was highly promoted by Chinese doctors[22] and much less invasive than surgical abortion. Abortion in non-medically necessary cases have since been prohibited. Approval from medical professionals of a dangerous medical condition is required to obtain an abortion.[2][3][1]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "China says it plans to carry out a 'special campaign' to 'intervene' in abortions as its birth rate hits a record low". Insider. 11 Feb 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
Abortion is legal in China, though the government mandates that women present medical reasons for abortions.
- ^ a b "China restricts abortions for 'non-medical purposes'". Al Jazeera. 27 Sep 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
The State Council, China’s cabinet, published the new rules on Monday.
- ^ a b "China tightens abortion controls as population crisis looms". Financial Times. September 27, 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
China is tightening controls over abortions for “non-medical purposes”
- ^ Hesketh, Therese . Lu, Li. Xing, Zhu Wei, Sept 2005, "The Effect of China’s One-Child Family Policy After 25 Years", The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 353, Iss. 11. Retrieved 5 Dec 2011.
- ^ a b "China restricts abortions for 'non-medical purposes'". Al Jazeera. 27 Sep 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
The State Council, China’s cabinet, published the new rules on Monday.
- ^ a b "China tightens abortion controls as population crisis looms". Financial Times. September 27, 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
China is tightening controls over abortions for “non-medical purposes”
- ^ a b c d e f Jing-Bao, Nie. Behind the Silence: Chinese Voices on Abortion Lanham, ML: Rowman & Litterfield Publishers, 2005.
- ^ "Thinking Chinese". Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ "China: new rules to prevent sex-selective abortions raise fears". The Guardian. 22 Jun 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
Jiangxi province issued guidelines last week stipulating that women more than 14 weeks pregnant must have signed approval from three medical professionals confirming an abortion is medically necessary before any procedure. […] In 2004, Guizhou was the first province to enact such a ban. Other Chinese provinces such as Jiangsu, Hunan, Qinghai, Anhui, Henan, and the city of Shanghai have followed suit with varying restrictions on abortions after 14 weeks.
- ^ "In need of a baby boom, China clamps down on vasectomies". Washington Post. 9 Dec 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
Her husband decided one kid was enough — so in April they began to inquire about a vasectomy. […] The surgery was no longer allowed under the country’s new family planning rules.
- ^ "China quietly cuts back on vasectomies to stop falling birth rates". MercatorNet. 8 Jan 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
Amongst China’s family planners is to refuse to give men vasectomies. They appear to be panicking over China’s plummeting birth rate and declining population growth. The China bureau chief of the Washington Post, Lily Kuo, reports that hospitals are refusing to do the operation. […] The procedure is no longer available. […] Government … restrict access to abortions and contraceptives after its overnight conversion to pro-natalism.
- ^ "China to reduce abortions for 'non-medical purposes'". Reuters. 27 Sep 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ a b Report: China aborts 13 million babies a year". Burlington, Vermont: Burlington Free Press. 31 July 2009. pp. 2A.
- ^ Garner, Paul. Qian, Xu. Tang, Shenglan, Jan 2004, “Unintended Pregnancy and Induced Abortion Among Unmarried Women in China: A Systematic Review,” BMC Health Services Research, Bio Med Central, p. 3.
- ^ Junhong, Chu, June 2001, “Prenatal Sex Determination and Sex-Selective Abortion in Rural Central China,” Population and Development Review, Vol. 27, Iss. 2, p. 264. Retrieved 3 Sept 2010.
- ^ Nie, Jing-Bao. Feb 2010, “Limits of State Intervention in Sex-Selective Abortion: The Case of China,” Culture, Health and Sexuality, Vol. 12, Iss. 2, p. 206. Retrieved 3 Sept 2010.
- ^ Nie, Jing-Bao. Feb 2010, “Limits of State Intervention in Sex-Selective Abortion: The Case of China,” Culture, Health and Sexuality, Vol. 12, Iss. 2, p. 205.
- ^ Junhong, Chu, June 2001, “Prenatal Sex Determination and Sex-Selective Abortion in Rural Central China,” Population and Development Review, Vol. 27, Iss. 2, p. 262.
- ^ a b Hesketh, Therese . Lu, Li. Xing, Zhu Wei, Sept 2005, “The Effect of China’s One-Child Family Policy After 25 Years, The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 353, Iss. 11.
- ^ Junhong, Chu, June 2001, “Prenatal Sex Determination and Sex-Selective Abortion in Rural Central China,” Population and Development Review, Vol. 27, Iss. 2, p. 267.
- ^ a b Nie, Jing-Bao. Feb 2010, “Limits of State Intervention in Sex-Selective Abortion: The Case of China,” Culture, Health and Sexuality, Vol. 12, Iss. 2, p. 207.
- ^ Medical Abortions in China - A Long Lasting Love Affair, Thinking Chinese, March 2011