Beijing's abortion nightmare

BrookesNews.Com
Friday 31 Jan. 2003

Last June news leaked out of China that the government had ordered that the Chinese wives of Taiwanese men were to have abortions. It was later reported that about six women were forced to terminate their pregnancies.

In an astonishing act of arrogance and in total disregard for human rights Beijing declared that its orders also applied to Chinese women who had settled in Taiwan and who were only visiting China.

Acting like something out of George Orwell's 1984 Chinese birth-control personnel would tell the Chinese wives of Taiwanese citizens how many children they were permitted to have, meaning only one. If the woman was found to have two or more children the Chinese birth-control police would order them to have their fallopian tubes tied. To reinforce its totalitarian demands the Chinese birth-control police would also fine the women and confiscate their ID cards.

When challenged by the victims the birth-control officials responded with the argument that the women had not received government permission to give birth and were therefore in breach of the law, even if it was their first child.

It was argued at the time that Chinese officials had simply not understood that these women were Taiwanese citizens who would later return to Taiwan, and that their children would not add to China's population. In recognition of this fact Beijing has regulations that exclude from their birth control laws those who have married Taiwanese citizens.

But stories are again coming out of China complaining that the wives of Taiwanese men have once again had their rights violated by the abortion police. This has made some observers think that the abortion officials' actions were not due to a misunderstanding at all, but were sanctioned by high-ranking Party officials to crudely signal Taipei that in its opinion Taiwanese citizens ultimately come under Beijing's jurisdiction.

At this stage no one has been willing to make a public complaint, possibly fearing state retaliation against members of their family still living on the mainland. All that can be done at the moment is to forewarn couples who plan on visiting China.