CHINA / National
Sex-selective abortions illegality ruled out
By Sun Shangwu (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-06-26 05:58
Chinese lawmakers have decided to abolish an amendment to the Criminal
Law making sex-selective abortions illegal, said a senior lawmaker in
Beijing on Saturday.
Big differences remain over the amendment, which calls for jail terms of
up to three years for people involved in abortion based on the sex of the
fetus, according to Zhou Kunren, vice-chairman of the Law Committee of
the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).
Some lawmakers and family planning officials support the law because of
the serious imbalance in the ratio of genders in the population.
China has 119 boys born for every 100 girls, much higher than the global
ratio of 103 to 107 boys for every 100 girls, according to Xinhua.
However, other experts argue it is inappropriate to criminalize such
practice because pregnant women enjoy the right to know the sex of the
fetus. A previous amendment was discussed by NPC Standing Committee
members in April.
The NPC Standing Committee opened its six-day 22nd session on Saturday
when members held the first hearing on three draft laws known as the
emergency management law, the anti-monopoly law and the farmers
co-operatives law.
They will also review a draft sixth amendment to the criminal law, a
draft amendment to the compulsory education law and a draft law on
supervision.
The emergency management law labels emergency matters, which include
natural disasters, accidents and public health disasters, at four levels,
according to Cao Kangtai, director of the Legislative Affairs Office
under the State Council.
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