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ALMOST 330 MILLION abortions have been performed in China in the 40 years since it first implemented measures to limit population growth in the world’s most populous nation, official data showed.
China has announced structural changes to its family planning system which oversees the controversial one-child policy during the ongoing annual meeting of the national legislature in Beijing.
Data posted on the health ministry website shows that from 1971 – shortly before China started encouraging people to have fewer children – through 2010 a total of 328.9 million abortions were carried out in the country, which has a population of 1.35 billion.
China says that its one-child policy introduced in the early 1980s has prevented overpopulation and boosted economic development. The policy exempts some rural families, ethnic minorities and couples who are both only children.
China’s latest census in 2010 showed that the population could have been 400 million larger if the one-child policy had not been implemented, according to Xinhua.
Calls have increased, however, for the restriction to be phased out as the country’s labour pool shrinks and the ranks of the elderly swell. Human rights groups have criticised what they say are harsh enforcement methods.
Under the policy, urban families are generally allowed to have just one child, while rural families may have a second if the first is a girl. Those who contravene the rules must pay a fine.
Last Sunday, the government announced the merger of the National Population and Family Planning Commission, which oversees the policy, with the health ministry in a move state media said was meant to improve, not abandon the one-child policy.
“After the reform, China will adhere to and improve the family planning policy,” Ma Kai, secretary general of the State Council, China’s cabinet, said when the move was announced, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
The move was included in a report on governmental restructuring submitted to the National People’s Congress, the country’s legislature, which ends its annual session on Sunday.
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They pay a fine for having extra kids?? Thats gas, its the oposite in ireland…. U get paid more for evry one that pops out ha.
You need a license for a dog the same should apply to having a baby. If you look at Dublin scangers they breed like rabbits and are a drain on society. I like China abortion rate it is sustainable and a must. The world is over populated we need to have some sort of population control.
Less dubs ?? What about Limerick, Wexford and cork etc ,
Why not offer sterilisation to the unemployed , hitler youth springs to mind,
Government should stay away from moral issues if possible
Offering sterilisation is a good idea.Maybe babies should be randomly sterilised at birth.
Yes, good old Nazi , ideas will be with us forever, unfortunately
So, on the one hand “no-one is pro abortion, only pro-choice” and on the other hand 330 million abortions is a good thing and there should be more?
Why only “dublin scangers”, do the scangers in the rest of the country not “breed like rabbits”, or are u just a snob that thinks all dubs are scangers
Ahhhhh Dave just giving dublin scangers as an example. Not all Dubs are skangers . We need population control the planet cannot sustain the population as is . The planet is dying rapidly.
It’s interesting that couples who are both only children can be exempt. Surely a one child policy since the early 80s will ensure the vast majority of couples will be in this position.
While shocking,this has prevented an out of control population increase. Like it or not the whole planet needs to consider this as the planet cannot cope with its current population.
Way over populated and resources are going to become harder to get. Less water less food and other resources. There will be a global collapse and war that is a fact.
How is it a fact that there is going to be a global collapse and war? It’s merely opinion.
Global collapse, ha ha like anyone of us will be here to see it !!
You may be correct but I have 4 children so my concern extends beyond my life.
It is fact .How stupid can anyone be if they dont see that coming. Less reaources especially precious resources will lead to war. In regards to the global economy that is a pyramid scheme. Food prices rising like mad more people starving now than ever.
I suggest you do the honourable thing then and show yourself and your family out of this world. Or is it only the Chinese that should be forced to accommodate your selfish fecundity?
Each human requires approx 6 acres of arable land to grow enough food to live, we’re running out of land. Also, much of the water used to grow crops is from artesian wells, this water is not replaced and will run out. Then there’s phosphorous, that’s mined for fertiliser, it will run out in a few decades, there’s no alternative sources.
Mjhint that’s stunningly hypocritical, even without bringing abortion into it.
The Chinese should be forced to control their population just to make life easier for your 4 children??
A greater ratio of the terminations carried out in China, – are on GIRLS.
There is a population imbalance, – a far greater ratio of men to women, in the population.
Some of the boys, – who as a single child are over indulged, – and are so called ‘little emperors’
its a sad fact that Gendericide, (the termination of unborn girls) is a problem in many regions of the world.
The feminist & ‘womens rights’ groups won’t be commenting on that though….
They do though, Zoe. It’s stunningly self-contradictory but Ivana Bacik in particular likes to decry this practice as “targeting girls”. And yet, when it comes to Ireland she says a foetus isn’t a person.
I guess Chinese fortuses are different?
Either that or she want to have her cake and abort it
Chuck I used the word shocking. Theres a little hint there that explains my feelings about it. So yes abortion is possibly not the best way to do this but it is a part of the solution. I would not agree with Zoe too often but I do agree that its used for gender purposes as well. Make no mistake though the Chinese needed population control & they succeeded & we need to learn from that with open minds or we will have one mass population control with global conflict & I see that as worse than this Chinese practice.
And how many were forced and coerced ?
I wonder if the pro life people will boycott Chinese goods now? I doubt it.
I wonder will the pro-abortion people shrug their shoulders and say “they’re just clusters of cells”? I’d doubt it
Just clusters of cells
I don’t know anyone who’s pro abortion…I know people who are pro choice and anti choice is all
Your right noone is of us sees pregnant woman and say ohhh lets kill it.
Pro choice. Is what I am. Also just because we are best friends and all in previous relationship then partner and I had abortion after contraception and emergency contraception failed. Was too young for us to be trapped at that stage so we made a choice. Just pity we had to get cheap flight
Pro-abortion? You mean pro-choice? Abortions because of a government policy is anti-choice by its very nature! Its the other extreme to pro-life
@thomas- I see what you did there. Very clever. It’s a strange position….I’m not pro-abortion,but I’m pro-choice. It’s a pathetic cop-out. I know it’s wrong but I won’t stop others doing it. See Nazi Germany, 1939.
@youdontknowme- so good to know you are so proud of putting your own quality of life ahead of the life of your baby. God forbid you would have taken responsibility for your actions. No, you absolutely did the right thing. I’m sure your don or daughter would agree. You know. If they were alive.
Well kev we will never know. Anyway kev was cluster of cells.
Dont worry I can live with it
@Kevin Shaw..Alcohol and cigarettes can be said to be bad for people aswell..are you going to stop everyone else from doing that?
@youdontknowme- you keep telling yourself that. It’s important that you keep your conscience clear. It’s all about you, after all.
@thomas- cigarettes and alcohol are self administered. I don’t care what people do to themselves, it’s a free country. Hurting someone else- that’s a different thing entirely.
Clear as a crystal :) guilt trip wont work. Always a favourite of the Catholic. Now in fairness abortion shpuld be legal here. For the sake of 40 euro ryanair return flight do they really believe it stops people?
Pregnancy is great when planned. If nit planned or if there is defect then yes of course option should be there to abort.
Thankfully sense is starting to win out. Abortion divorce being homosexual all burn in hell stuff but now all but one to go. Just think if not fpr catholic church how non backwards we would have been.
@youdontknow- Why is it pro-abortionists always bring the Church into this? It’s like they’re obsessed with priests and what they have to say. It’s not a religious issue. It’s an issue of life or death. Pro- life who believe in preserving it vs pro-abortion who don’t. For the record, I’m not Catholic. It’s just I don’t think it’s right to kill babies because they’re inconvenient.
because the anti choice is funded primarily by religious. pro abortion does not mean anti life or whatever was you see it and noone is pro abortion. thats like saying me for example who agrees with choice means we should abort all or some of our kids. not true and bit of a twisted way of seeing it.
not all pregnancy is planned out not every one is in position that they can support or afford kids, not only that but people just might not be together . If a girl is 19 in college with years of study ahead and maybe so is partner they are not in any position for child. they should have choice so in years to come they can be in good position when time is then right to have children so please stop labeling would you.
i myself am not keen on the uk limit of 22 weeks. natural miscarriage can happen around 10 week mark. i think before there is heartbeat and not formed then termination is an option. I do think the uk limit is way way to high.
My understanding of pro choice is, the woman should decide, well she have the baby or not. So it looks to me like the Chinese situation has nothing to do with pro choice. And again, it is a bunch of men in suits that make bureaucratic decisions about womens fertility. Even though the outcome its the opposite as in Ireland, at its core the problem its the same.
One child rule will be world wide I hope someday otherwise the world shall not be able to cope with the plague of humans
Iona will love that news.
The island or the fundamentalists?
Lets see Youth Defence protest in Beijing
Yes. Because in a story about 330m abortions clearly the thing to do is take a shot at pro-lifers. They’re the villains.
Why would a unborn baby in China be of less interest to them, stinks of racism.
Indeed Pierce, lets see them approach the new leader on a Beijing street and state thier beliefs…
Lets see all the pro-choicers go spread the good word in the deep south of the usa.
Why should we care qbout deep south of USA? ? I only care about laws on our own litttle patch.
How do pro life people feel about adoption.if the babie was born to a drug addicted mother and put up for adoption would they be happy for a homosexual couple adopt the child.
Is that a serious question? Why would anyone have a problem with that?
You would be suprised, id say there are a few ppl on this itching to reply to that
Of course there is but they’re holding back they dont want to seem to mad and start bringing god and the bible into it.
If you’re going to ask a question either accept the answer or don’t ask
I’m pro-life and have no problem whatsoever with that
Well chuck im sure alot of the pro life group would have a serious problem with it.look im pro choice but i even think that abortion on demand is going to far and using it as a form of birth control is totally wrong.but if the woman is in danger of loosing her life or that the babie is very sick and will die in pain either in the womb or minutes after been born well then the woman should have the right to choose,same with rape im sure alot of women would not like to give birth to a child born out of rape.
Economic development comes before human life
Says a lot for the future of human kind
Yeah, a future we won’t have if we keep destroying the planet, which is affected directly by overpopulation. The fact is that China’s one child policy, despite its faults, in the long run will probably be a positive due to the fact that the country is already struggling under its incredibly large population. In Ireland we have a problem with regard people who have 5 or 6 children that they cannot afford to provide for. This then affects the state due to child benefit payments.
Just look at junkies who trot around town with 3 or 4 kids looking for a fix! The question needs to be asked whether that person should even be allowed to have children, would a child in that situation have been better off if the parents had chosen abortion.
Or the junkie sterilised!
Sure Matthew why don’t you go the rest of the way and be selective
That’s where the third reich were going
Matthew, in that case why don’t we cull adults?
Zoe will be along soon to give the youth defence view on it.
Once the child is born they dont care what happens to it or the mother.
Tell that to the late term abortions that survive it only to be left to die. So humane!
I try not to get involved in abortion debates. Extremists on both sides annoy me but this stupid “they don’t care what happens after it’s born” argument really grates on my nerves. A lot of charities and lobby groups are one issue groups. If there was a story about Amnesty International would you write “they don’t care what happens to political prisoners when they are released”?
And 19% of healthy pregnancies in the UK are aborted. But pro-lifers are crazy religious zealots when they condemn abortion on demand, aren’t they? Maybe all the pro-abortionists on here should move to China. They seem to have a comparable value system over there.
And if there was no 1 child policy the population would easily be double even triple.
Sorry but leave religion out of it. We are mammals we are even at this rate destroying earth. People dont see it as being irresponsible YET to have big families but carbon footprints and all. Should be education on our impact.
By the way china while there has been stories on forced abortions by and large 99.999% of time if you have extra child its a fine is all and people generally go with that
Fine for having a child in China without a permit is approx two years wages and more.
The pro choice people should be disturbed by this. It’s supposed to be a woman’s decision. In Chinas case it’s the state that’s choosing and having control over a woman’s body.
Btw I’m well aware of chinas population and the challenge it has from a huge population.
If you’re well aware then you know why this rule is needed
Waffler, so would you be one of these govt. officials who tells a woman that she has to have an abortion and you may force her to do so.
Go ask a woman what she thinks of this.
The state Denying a woman the right to choose and forcing an abortion on a woman is disturbing.
Go have this conversation with a woman.
Once again I’m aware of the challenges China has with its huge population!
Maybe there is a better way then forced abortions or state coercion.
Forced sterilisation?
Ignorant reply waffler. Would you mind if the govt starts with you on forced sterilization?
I see the usual crew are on the attack first (as always).
Scroll up there and read the first comment, like a good lad
There are people who picket against culling badgers who are pro- abortion. Beggars belief.
And there are pro lifers who think nothing of bombing a abortion clinic and killing all inside ha so much for been pro life.
A lot of the people Kevin refers to are also vegetarian. Would they eat a fertilised hen’s egg?
Who said that people want abortion on demand in ireland.
Clare Daly, Kathleen Lynch, NWCI, Choice Ireland, Sinn Fein, The Worker’s Solidarity Movement….
So they have actually said that they want abortion on demand,they just came straight out with it is there any video of these people saying such a thing.
Yes, lots
Can you post a few links to the videos of them saying it.
Looking at the situation globally, It is obvious that something needs to be done about population growth. On the climate change issue, for example, if we succeed in halving per capita greenhouse gas emissions (which in itself seems very unlikely) while at the same time we see a doubling of world population then we’re back at square one. BTW most European countries seem to be more densely populated than China. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_and_dependent_territories_by_population_density
The population of Africa has increased 5 fold since aid has been pouring in from Europe . The catholic aid agencies are anti condoms and birth control and aids is rampant. And our generous government give €638 million of our money every year so we have staving mothers giving birth to babies born to die I’m guessing these tragic mothers would love real choice
Stop it your talking sense just stop it stop it stop it. You will upset the Catholics. Condoms make hussys and harlots. Down with this sort of thing. Ban condoms they are the tool of the devil just like pop music and kissing on the lips in movies.
Repent or all burn in hell!!!!!!!! Ye wife swapping sodimites. (Who said that before ;))
There’s too many of them Chinese anyway, driving up the cost of petrol for us and what not!
They also do a great trade in organs,executions on demand ,blood tests before hand of course.
have your say