Central China's Henan Province will institute a law to strictly supervise and control prenatal sex determination and sex-selective abortion. Henan Provincial Government has examined and approved a relevant motion to the Standing Committee of Henan Provincial People's Congress. This motion makes explicit regulations on the action of prenatal sex determination and responsible persons.
According to the draft of Henan provincial regulations on prohibiting prenatal sex determination and sex-selective abortion for non-medical motives, no organizations or individuals are allowed to perform prenatal sex determination or termination of pregnancy without approval of sanitary administrative authorities or population and family planning commissions.
The draft requires that prenatal sex determination for medical purposes must be performed by licensed professionals according to national technical and operating rules upon verification and consent of no less than three experts from the organization that performs the operation. Termination after the 14th week of pregnancy for non-medical purposes must obtain written approval of the population and family planning commission of the county or of the sub-district office, town or township people's government of the pregnant woman's residence.
The draft also forbids pharmaceutical producers and wholesalers from selling abortion medicines to organizations or individuals that are unlicensed to perform abortion operations. Medicine retailers are also prohibited from selling abortion medicines.
China's sex ratio at birth has remained on the high side in the past 20-odd years and now reaches 116.86. The figure in Henan had risen to 118.46 during the 2000 National Census, higher than the average level of the Chinese mainland and outclassing the normal level.
(China News Service April 7, 2006)
