WUNRN
"Currently,
China's male population outnumbers that of females by 37 million, the most
uneven in the world."
August
25, 2007
China
Mulls Regulation to Ban Sex-Selection Abortion: Official
A
regulation is expected to be made to ban sex-selection abortion in China
against the increasingly larger gender imbalance, according to the State
Council.
Wang Yongqing, deputy head of the Office of Legislative Affairs of the State
Council said "several laws and regulations on family planning have been
listed on State Council's legislative plan for 2007 including the regulation to
ban sex-selection abortion."
The State Council are studying the regulation and will release it at proper
time, he said.
The new regulation will make clear the responsibility of governments and
related departments at all levels and to ban sex-selection abortion for
nonmedical purpose, he said.
Though sex-selection is banned by the Population and Family Planning Law and
the Law on Maternal and Infant Health, there are currently no provisions on the
applicable punishment for such acts.
The State Council planned to sum up various notices on sex-selection issued by
different departments and made detailed regulations for the corresponding
clauses, sources with the State Council said.
"There are still risks of fertility rate rebound in China," Wang
said, explaining "gaps exist between people's attitudes towards child
bearing and China's existing laws on family planning."
The family planning policy, implemented in 1979, encourages families to have
only one child.
The policy has helped China to reduce the speed of population growth, delaying
by four years the 1.3 billion figure reached at the beginning of 2005.
However, the traditional idea that more children bring more happiness
still prevails in rural areas, challenging the country's population control
efforts. And the traditional preference for boys sometimes leads to selective
abortion, causing worries over the gender imbalance.
Currently, China's male population outnumbers that of females by 37 million,
the most uneven in the world.
Statistics from the Information Office of the State Council show the sex ratio
for newborns is 119 boys to 100 girls.
Source: Xinhua
================================================================
To leave the list, send your request by email to: wunrn_listserve-request@lists.wunrn.com.
Thank you.