China Vows to Crack Down on Sex-Selective Abortions
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China is vowing a heavy crackdown on sex-selective abortions in an effort to balance the country's skewed sex ratio, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a government plan released Monday.
The Outline for the Development of Chinese Children (2011-2020) said efforts will be made to "eliminate discrimination against girls" in a country that values male heirs because they ensure the preservation of the family's bloodline. This belief has caused many to undergo illegal sex-selective abortions in the face of China's one-child policy.
The plan, according to Xinhua, said "using ultrasonic techniques to conduct non-medical sex determination" should be prohibited, and provided the opportunity for family planning policies, which have been in place for about three decades, to be loosened and changed.
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These changes have already begun in many areas in China. If both members of a couple come from a one-child family, the couple may be permitted to have two children. Some rural areas also allow couples to have a second child if their first child is a female, the news agency reported.
According to China's latest census, released in April, the male-female ratio at birth is about 119 males to 100 females. In most industrialized countries, the ratio is about 107 males to 100 females.