A population expert has called on lawmakers to make it a
criminal offence to identify the sex of an embryo for non-medical
purposes and also to outlaw abortions that are not medically
justified.
Wei Jinsheng, a researcher with the China Population and
Development Research Centre, said in an article published in the
latest issue of Qiushi (Seeking Truth from Facts) magazine
that the National People's Congress (NPC) should incorporate
provisions banning sex selection for non-medical purposes in the
country's Criminal Law.
The rising gender imbalance is posing a serious threat to
society's smooth development, Wei said.
Statistics indicate that 117 boys are born for every 100 girls
in China, well above the international average of 107 boys to 104
girls.
The underlying reason for China's rising gender imbalance is the
entrenched idea that boys are better than girls. The idea has its
origin in rural China where farm work prefers men, deemed
physically stronger than women.
Ultrasound technology allows prospective parents to learn the
sex of an embryo, which means that they sometimes choose to abort
particularly in rural areas when the embryo is female.
Although it has been a rule within the Chinese medical community
to not divulge to pregnant women their embryos' sex, it has not
been instituted as a criminal offence.
A draft amendment to the Criminal Law submitted to the Standing
Committee of the NPC for review earlier this year would institute
penalties of up to three years in jail, probation and fines for
those involved in gender identification of embryos for non-medical
purposes.
But the provision was later removed because lawmakers were
divided on the provision. Opponents say it is a woman's right to
know her baby's sex.
(China Daily October 3, 2006)