I’ll set this one up in the most casual way I can: At least 61 women were given forced abortions in China last week, as reported by a The China Aid Association, a human rights watch group.Usually I don’t like to cast dispersions upon the way other cultures choose to conduct themselves, but even one such as I have to draw the line somewhere. Being a liberal that line usually exists at personal freedoms. China has never been known for a particularly warm feelings about such things, though in the past few years the Communist government of the world’s only other superpower has relaxed their stringent laws concerning individual rights. But not much, apparently.
Late last week horrifying reports began coming out of China’s Guangxi province that local officials were forcing certain women to have abortions, in line with their laws that each couple only have one child. Most of the couples were expecting a second child, but expected they would only have to pay a fine like most other parents have done recently. In a blast from the past of hardcore, brutal bureaucracy, Family Planning Officials “escorted” 41 pregnant women to the Youjiang District People’s Hospital in Baise City where they were given forcible abortions by 3 injections to the stomach. The first is to induce labor, and the other two go directly into the babies head, drugging and killing it. That was last Tuesday. On Wednesday another 20 women were dragged in and given the same treatment. It appears at least some of the women were Christian and disagreed with the Republic’s one-child law.And we’re not talking early-term here, either, folks. All the women were visibly showing, so at least 4-6 months along, and one couple, Wei Linrong and Yage “James” Liang were abducted from their homes by 10 Family Planning goons were well into the 7th month. According to Wei Linrong they were told that both forced abortions and forced sterilizations were being conducted. Even more staggering, Ms. He Caigan was 9 months pregnant and mere days away from giving birth when brought to the hospital and injected. 20 minutes later the baby died and when delivered it had turned completely black from necrosis. It was the nineteen-year-old Caigan’s first child, too. Why did the local baby-hit-squad make her have an abortion? She wasn’t married to the baby’s father, another violation of Family Planning law.
Early reports out of the Chinese government run the gamut from “we haven’t heard anything about this” to assertions that the couples are outright lying. These sort of human rights violations are not uncommon when you have a Communist government that has very little oversight at the local level, and promotions are based solely on results. Last year Baise City posted a 13.61% birth rate; 0.11% higher than the mandated 13.5%. This may be the reason for the forced abortions, but anonymous citizen sources in China claim it happens regularly in some areas.No matter how you feel about abortion in this country, I think we can all agree this is pretty fucking monstrous. I just thought you should know, dear readers.
Sources:
LifeNews.com – Forced Abortion Campaign in China Continues, 61 Women Victimized
NPR – Cases of Forced Abortions Surface in China
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