Houston Community News >> China Vows to Balance Distorted Sex Ratio
1/22/2007
BEIJING- Responding to China's growing sex ratio imbalance,
officials have vowed to crack down on sex-selective abortions and fetus gender
testing.
China's Xinhua news agency said that a recent statement issued by the nation's
State Council and Central Committee of the Communist Party of China confirmed
that such practices would be targeted to reach an acceptable sex balance. People
who conduct illegal gender testing of fetuses and sex-selective abortions should
face serious punishment, the statement said. In 2005, China's expanding gender
ratio reached 118 baby boys for every 100 girls and authorities immediately saw
cause for concern.
The rise from 2000's numbers of 110 boys per 100 girls had created a care for
girls campaign that apparently did little to quash the presence of such medical
procedures. In addition to limiting such medical services, Chinese officials
have also sworn to increase the girls' safety from abandonment or attacks.
Xinhua said officials swore such discriminatory practices would be dealt with
severely in the future.
(Contributed by UPI)