Government says clampdown is aimed at improving women’s reproductive health, but it comes amid anxiety about the nation’s falling birth rate

China has already enacted strict measures aimed at preventing sex-selective abortions, and health authorities also warned in 2018 that the use of abortion to end unwanted pregnancies was harmful to women’s bodies and risked causing infertility.

The state council said the new guidelines, issued on Monday, would aim to improve women’s overall access to pre-pregnancy healthcare services.

  • StellarTabi [none/use name]
    ·
    3 years ago

    https://maps.reproductiverights.org/worldabortionlaws?country=CHN

    Of the 59 countries permitting elective abortion

    9 countries limit elective abortion before the 12th week of gestation

    36 countries limit elective abortion at 12 weeks gestation

    6 countries limit elective abortion between 12 and 20 weeks gestation

    7 countries permit elective abortion past 20 weeks or have no gestational limit.

    https://lozierinstitute.org/internationalabortionnorms/ (2014)

    14 weeks elective, requiring medical reason above that seems pretty above average in the grand scheme of thing. Plus you don't have all the insane hand maiden's tale laws like the US.

    In the US states often have random types of bans ranging from 6-24 weeks (averaging probably closer to 18): https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/state-policies-later-abortions

    not a good look for China.