China on Friday announced its latest crackdown on prenatal gender exams and illegal abortions despite further progress in narrowing the gap between the high number of male versus female births.
Authorities will target clinics and agencies “suspected, but never caught” carrying out tests that allow parents to determine the sex of their child and abort in favor of a male heir.
“Fetus gender exams and abortions are the direct reason for the unusual sex ratio of newborns in China,” Li Bin of the National Health and Family Planning Commission told state news agency Xinhua.
The latest figures show the gap has narrowed since 2013, from 118 to 115 male births for every 100 females.
But China still registers the widest gender gap of any country, well above the worldwide average of about 102 boys born for every 100 girls.
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China’s gender gap began to widen in the late 1980s when the government’s implementation of the single-child policy coincided with ultrasound technology becoming widely available.
In a country where tradition emphasizes the importance of a male heir, the number of sex-selective abortions reportedly skyrocketed. By the turn of the millennium, provinces including Anhui, Jiangxi and Shaanxi recorded more than 130 boys born for every 100 girls.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: China tackles illegal, prenatal sex selection
