Abortion forced on `defective families'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.TOM WILKIE
Science Editor
Chinese women face compulsory abortions and sterilisation to weed out genetically "defective" children under a "health-care" law, representatives of families affected by genetic disease said yesterday.
The law, passed in June, represents eugenic abuse of private genetic information and violation of human rights and forces doctors to become the agents of the state in forcing women to have abortions, according to Alastair Kent of Britain's Genetic Interest Group.
Article 10 of the "Law on Maternal and Infant Health Care" deprives women of the right to own their own bodies. It prescribes compulsory genetic testing of married couples, followed by sterilisation or termination of pregnancy in families identified as likely to produce a "defective" child, Mr Kent said.
The issue is particularly relevant to the United Nations World Conference on Women (opening on Monday), Mr Kent said, because "women are the ones who are going to be suffering from the enforced termination of their pregnancies, prolonged contraception or sterilisation. We recognise that China has a problem with a burgeoning population," Mr Kent said, "but while a couple might decide to terminate an affected pregnancy, it is inappropriate for the state to decide and an unacceptable burden on physicians to be required to make the decision to terminate on behalf of the state."
The law was "saying that some children are less valuable as human beings than others".
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments