Relatives coerced as well
Doctors in the south of China are
reportedly working 24/7 to reach a government goal of sterilising 10,000 men
and women who have violated the nation’s family planning policies. The
authorities are so determined that the relatives of those who resist the policy
have been detained. 

Around 1,300 people are being held in Puning
county in Guangdong Province in cramped conditions, in an attempt by officials
to put pressure on couples who have had illegal children to come forward to be
sterilised. 

The campaign aims to achieve 9,559
sterilisations over 20 days in Puning, the most populous county in the province
with 2.24 million residents. One doctor in the village of Daba said that he and
his team have been working almost nonstop, from the first sterilisation at 8am
one day to the last at 4am the following day. The detained relatives of those
who refuse sterilisation are forced to listen to lectures that limit the size
of families. 

A Puning Population and Family Planning
Bureau official told The Global Times: “It’s not uncommon for family
planning authorities to adopt some tough tactics.” Other coercive
strategies used in Puning include rejecting building permits applied for by
families who have illegal children, and refusing residency registration for
illegal children, which denies them access to education and healthcare. ~ London Times, Apr
17

Jared Yee
China
informed consent
one-child policy

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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