Washington Times: Gruesome Picture Puts New Pressure on China Over One Child Policy

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Reggie Littlejohn

By Cheryl Wetzstein

July 9, 2012

At a House hearing punctuated by the wails of a Chinese woman mourning a baby that was forcibly aborted 17 years ago, lawmakers said there were signs that increased domestic and international pressure on Chinese officials to end the country’s one-child policy was beginning to have an effect.

The recent publication of a photo of despondent 23-year-old Jianmei Feng lying on a hospital bed with her bloody, aborted 7-month-old child beside her has “sparked global outrage,” said Rep. Christopher H. Smith, New Jersey Republican and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa, global health and human rights.

With that picture, “People are finally seeing the gruesome reality of China’s one-child policy,” said Mr. Smith, who noted that Ms. Feng’s husband, Deng Jiyuan, has been beaten and is in hiding, and that Ms. Feng remains confined in a government hospital.

But Mr. Smith also noted that several prominent Chinese researchers told the China Economic Times earlier this month that the one-child policy should be adjusted “as soon as possible” to avert a demographic crisis, and 15 Chinese scholars Friday openly said the one-child policy “does not accord” with human rights and China’s need for sustainable economic development.

“It now seems that consensus in China is building towards reforming the policy,” said Rep. Joseph R. Pitts, Pennsylvania Republican.

Human rights activist Reggie Littlejohn told lawmakers there were signs of a “breakthrough” with State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland and Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, speaking out against forced abortion, citing the case of Ms. Feng.

“Forced abortion is not a choice,” said Ms. Littlejohn, president of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers.

The publication of the gruesome pictures has clearly rattled officials in Beijing. The young couple were called traitors by some in China, but the European Parliament recently cited them in a strong condemnation of China’s one-child policy and forced abortion, Mr. Smith said.

Witnesses at Monday’s hearing, including a number of longtime critics of the one-child policy, suggested a number of responses, including restricting funds for the United Nations Population Fund and urging U.S. corporations to reject coercive family-planning practices in their factories in China.

“Numerous forced-abortion tragedies occur in China every single day,” said Pastor Bob Fu, president of China Aid Association, which this year helped blind political activist Guangcheng Chen and his family escape house arrest and come to the United States.

The harsh realities of forced abortion were brought to the hearing via a telephone call from Yanling Guo, who fled China with her husband and is now in Bangkok.

In 1995, Ms. Guo said through Mr. Fu, she was eight months pregnant and staying with her sister. One morning, Ms. Guo was accosted by family-planning officials, taken to a hospital and forced onto a delivery table. A masked health care professional came in, felt for the baby’s head and “stuck a big, long, fatal needle into my abdomen,” Ms. Guo said.

Someone later pulled the baby out of her and laid it on a nearby table. “It was a baby boy. My son, my son,” Ms. Guo said, her voice dissolving into deep sobs.

The panel waited for her to regain her composure, but eventually Ms. Guo’s husband took the phone to finish her testimony. “Remove this evil family-planning system and restore human rights,” he said over his wife’s still-audible cries.

The original article can be viewed here:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/9/gruesome-picture-puts-new-pressure-on-china-over-o/

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Washington Times: Gruesome Picture Puts New Pressure on China Over One Child Policy

Feng Jianmei, the European Parliament and Forced Abortion: Reggie Littlejohn’s Congressional Testimony Today

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Reggie Littlejohn

WRWF Founder and President, Reggie Littlejohn, will testify today before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights.  Joining her will be Bob Fu, President of China Aid and Steven Mosher, President of the Population Research Institute.  The hearing will take place at 2:00 in room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building.  WRWF broke the story of Feng Jianmei to the West, on this blog.  http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/blog/?p=667 .

In addition, Ms. Littlejohn has been told that in 2008,  she was the first person to address the European Parliament on the issue of China’s One Child Policy.  Ms. Littlejohn’s testimony follows:

Thank you, Chairman Smith and Members of the Subcommittee, for the opportunity to testify today regarding the case of Feng Jianmei, as well as several other alarming cases of forced abortion that have arisen recently in China.  I am also thrilled that the European Parliament has passed a resolution strongly condemning forced abortions and sterilizations globally, and has called for a review to ensure that the funding it provides for family planning in China is not used for coercion.

The case of Feng Jianmei is one of several that have emerged in swift succession, most of these following on the heels of blind activist Chen Guangcheng’s May 19 arrival in the United States.

Linyi City, Shandong Province. March 2012.  A photo of a forcibly aborted full term baby drowned in a bucket, submitted anonymously, circulated on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, and in the West.  The infant reportedly cried at birth, but was drowned in a bucket by family planning personnel.[1] Blind activist Chen Guangcheng comes from Linyi and was still under house arrest at the time news of this forced abortion broke. This incident demonstrates that forced abortion up to the ninth month of pregnancy still occurs in Linyi, as first disclosed by Chen in his report of 2005.[2]

Cao Ruyi, Changsha City, Hunan Province. June 2012 and ongoing.  Five months pregnant, Cao Ruyi was detained by Family Planning Officials, who beat her husband and attempted to forcibly abort her.  They demanded that she pay the Chinese equivalent of approximately $24,000, or face forced abortion.  Because of international pressure, this amount was reduced and Cao was allowed to leave the hospital, but she remains in jeopardy.  Jing Zhang, President of Women’s Rights in China, has arranged for Cao Ruyi and her husband to remain in hiding until their baby is born.[3]

Feng Jianmei, Ankang City, Shaanxi Province. June 2, 2012.  Breaking within days of the case of Cao Ruyi, Feng Jianmei was forcibly aborted at seven months when she and her husband, Deng Jiyuan, could not pay a 40,000 yuan fine ($6300). Officials tried to force Feng into a car, but she escaped to her aunt’s house.  They broke through the gate, so she fled to the mountains, where officials found her hiding under a bed.  Her husband told The Economist, “They laughed when they found her.”[4] After forcibly aborting her baby, officials laid the bloody body of her dead daughter next to her in the bed.  The story and photograph, which WRWF broke to the west on June 12, 2012, immediately went viral, sent shockwaves around the world, and ignited a firestorm of outrage.[5]

In the aftermath, the local Ankang City government apologized, several officials were given administrative demerits, and one reportedly was terminated. The sincerity of these gestures, however, is questionable, given the fact that at the same time, protests were organized outside Feng’s family home.  Protesters carried a large banner reading “Beat the traitors, drive them from the town.”  According to local media reports, these protests were organized by local authorities, in retaliation for Deng’s interview with a German journalist.  At this time, Deng disappeared for several days, during which time Feng did not know where he was.[6]

Deng has since reappeared, having traveled to Beijing to seek legal help. He is calling for justice, including both monetary compensation and criminal prosecution of those responsible for forcibly aborting Feng.[7]

As of an Associated Press report, Feng was still in the hospital on July 6 – more than a month after her forced abortion.[8] Earlier, she had said that she was ready to leave the hospital and felt that remaining hospitalized weeks after the forced abortion felt like “prison.”[9]

Feng’s case has become symbolic of the heinous human rights abuses suffered by the women of China at the hands of the Chinese Communist population control machine.  Feng’s forced abortion and the subsequent persecution of her family, however, have not been in vain.  Feng was specifically cited by the European Parliament in its resolution condemning coercive family planning.

Hu Jia, Jianli County, Hubei Province. June 19, 2012.  China’s Southern Metropolis Daily reported that Hu Jia was forcibly aborted at nearly eight months.  This case was reported by a major Chinese newspaper, indicating the growing discontent with the policy inside China and the courage of the Chinese news media to report it.[10]

Zhang Wen Fang, Hong Hu City, Hubei Province (2008) – Inspired by the outrage generated by the case of Feng Jianmei, Zhan Wen Fang stepped forward to report that she had been forcibly aborted at nine months in 2008.  Along with her baby, family planning officials removed her uterus, cervix and one ovary.  Previously a successful business owner, she is now confined to a wheelchair and dependant on her aging mother.  She states that her older child is “like an orphan,” without much support from her.  She came forward stating, “I would like to ensure that no more families ever have to go through what I have been through, to be butchered like this.”[11]

Pressure builds in Europe and the United States

This spate of barbaric cases has focused criticism against coercive family planning in China.

European Parliament. In a striking blow against China’s One Child Policy, the European Parliament last week passed a resolution strongly condemning forced abortion and involuntary sterilization in China and globally, citing Feng Jianmei. Specifically, the resolution, 2012/2712 (RSP)  “strongly condemns the decision to force Ms. Feng to have an abortion and condemns the practice of forced abortions and sterilizations globally, especially in the context of the one-child policy.”  The resolution further states that “the EU has provided, and still provides, funds for organizations involved in family planning policies in China,” and “urges the Commission to ensure that its funding of projects does not breach” the European Parliament’s commitment against coercive population control.

I have twice addressed the European Parliament on the One Child Policy, and I know how passionate the MEPs are, both from the pro-life and the pro-choice perspectives.[12] The fact that these forces were able to join together to condemn forced abortion is a masterpiece of coalition building.  As WRWF’s message has been from the beginning, whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, no one supports forced abortion, because it is not a choice.

Additionally, it is significant that the European Parliament has acknowledged that it provides funding for family planning in China, and urged the Commission to ensure that this funding is not associated with coercion.  For decades, the UNFPA and International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) have worked hand in hand with the Chinese population control machine, which is coercive.  They are funded by many nations, not only in Europe but the world over, including the United States.  I have no doubt that any unbiased investigation by the European Parliament or any other governmental body will reveal that these organizations are complicit with coercive family planning in China.

I hope that this courageous action by the European Parliament will serve as a model for governments all over the world, including the United States, to join the outcry against forced abortion in China — and to stop funding it.

U.S. State Department. On the domestic front, State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland, condemned forced abortion while expressing concern for the case of Cao Ruyi.  “We’ve seen the reports that a Chinese woman is being detained and possibly pressured into a forced abortion by Chinese family planning authorities after purportedly violating China’s one-child policy,” she told reporters during a press briefing. “We have reached out to the authorities in Beijing to ask about this issue.”  Nuland reiterated that the U.S. strongly opposes “all aspects of China’s coercive birth limitation policies,” which they have deemed a serious human rights abuse. [13]

Center for Reproductive Rights. In an encouraging development, Nancy Northup, President of the Center for Reproductive Rights, wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Times, referencing the case of Feng Jianmei and condemning forced abortion in China.[14] This was a courageous act on Northup’s part.  If NARAL, Planned Parent, NOW and the UNFPA truly stand for choice, they will join Northup in condemning forced abortion in China.  If they do not condemn forced abortion, they do not stand for choice.

WRWF urges both the State Department and the Center for Reproductive Rights to back up their words with effective actions. [15]

Pressure Builds Within China

In the wake of these cases, it was reported last week that two brave groups within China have called for the reform or relinquishment of the One Child Policy.  According to the China Economic Times, several researchers in the Developmental Research Center – a prestigious, government-affiliated think tank — cited the coming demographic disaster caused by low birth rates combined with an ageing population as the reason for China to move to a two-child policy.  “The longer we wait, the more vulnerable we will be,” they stated.[16]

While I agree that China is facing a nearly-irreversible demographic disaster caused by the One Child Policy, I do not agree that instituting a two-child policy is the answer to the problems created by the One Child Policy.  First, a two-child policy encourages gendercide, the sex-selective abortion of baby girls.  In areas where couples can have a second child if the first is a girl, gendercide is rampant.  According to a 2009 study by the British Medical Journal, the average birth ratio in China is 120 boys for every hundred girls born.  But for second births, that number jumps to 143 boys for every hundred girls.  In two provinces, Jiangsu and Anhui, for the second child, there were 190 boys for every hundred girls born.[17]

The central issue in the One Child Policy, moreover, is not whether the government allows couples to have one or two children.  Rather, it is the coercion with which this limit is enforced.  Even with a two-child policy, women will still be subject to forced abortion if they get pregnant without a birth permit.

Last week a second call for reform came from a prominent group of scholars who criticized the policy on the basis that it violates human rights and works against economic stability. Fifteen brave intellectuals signed an open letter urging that re-writing of family planning law was “imperative.” One of their leaders, well-known Internet entrepreneur James Liang, is calling for the abolition of the one-child rule.[18]

Policy Recommendations

Members of the U.S. Congress are encouraged to:

  • Adopt a resolution condemning forced abortion and sterilization in China and urging the Chinese Communist Party to dismantle the coercive population control machine, in light of recent cases, bringing family planning in conformance with the 1995 Beijing Declaration, the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development, and CEDAW.
  • Urge the Chinese Communist Party vigorously to investigate and criminally prosecute Family Planning Officials and others responsible for the forced abortions of Feng Jianmei, Hu Jia and Zhang Wen Fang.  Give Cao Ruyi permission to have her second child.  Return all fines paid by these women and compensate them and their families for their injuries.
  • Urge the Chinese Communist Party to cease the use of all quotas for abortion and sterilization, which quota system leads to coercion.  Urge the Chinese Communist Party to delink financial and professional advancement from meeting population control quotas, thus removing the incentive for coercion.
  • Investigate UNFPA and IPPF for complicity with coercive family planning in China.  If complicity is found, funding should be cut.
  • Pass an act concerning the responsibility of U.S. corporations doing business in China, that they should not be complicit in coercive family planning in their factories.
  • Press for the freedom of blind activist Chen Guangcheng’s nephew, Chen Kegui, who has been wrongfully detained on charges of attempted murder.  Chen Kegui and his family were violently attacked by local authorities when it was discovered that his uncle had escaped.  Chen Kegui acted in self defense.
  • Pass a “China Democracy Promotion Act,” which would enable the President to deny entry into the U.S. for Chinese nationals who have committed human rights abuses against people in China, including anyone who has participated in the imposition of China’s coercive birth limitation policy.  This Act would be similar to H.R. 2121, proposed in 2011 by Rep. Chris Smith.
[1] Kathleen Gilbert.  “Photo of a baby aborted in China at 9 months in forced abortion circulates on internet, sparks outrage.”  4/3/12

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/photo-of-baby-aborted-in-china-at-9-months-in-forced-abortion-circulates-on/

[2] Congressional-Executive Commission on China Hearing of December 6, 2011, releasing the Chen Guangcheng Report.

http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/?nav=congressional_hearing_2011

[3] Jing Zhang. “China’s One Child Policy – Two Cases.”  American Spectator, 6/15/12.

http://spectator.org/archives/2012/06/15/chinas-one-child-policy-two-ca

[4] “The Brutal Truth:  A shocking case of forced abortion fuels resentment against China’s One Child Policy.”  6/23/12.  http://www.economist.com/node/21557369

[5] Reggie Littlejohh, “BREAKING:  Chinese Woman Forcibly Aborted at Seven Months.”  6/12/12

http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/blog/?p=667

[6] “China punishes officials over late-term abortion case.”  6/27/12.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-18605767

Josh Chin.  “Mom Cites Pressure in One-Child Saga.”  6/28/12 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303561504577492413851079538.html

[7] Father in China forced abortion case demands criminal prosecution, seeks compensation.  7/6/12  http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/father-in-china-forced-abortion-case-demands-criminal-prosecution-sues-for-compensation/2012/07/06/gJQAx4GLRW_story.html

[8] Father in China forced abortion case demands criminal prosecution, seeks compensation.  7/6/12  http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/father-in-china-forced-abortion-case-demands-criminal-prosecution-sues-for-compensation/2012/07/06/gJQAx4GLRW_story.html

[9] Josh Chin.  Mom Cites Pressure in One-Child Saga.  6/28/12 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303561504577492413851079538.html

[10] Patrick Burke.  “Another Forced Abortion Case Reported as Abuses Under China’s ‘One-Child’ Policy Get More Attention” 7/2/12

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/another-forced-abortion-case-reported-abuses-under-china-s-one-child-policy-get-more

[11] “Chinese woman comes forward with forced abortion story” 7/3/12

http://www.allgirlsallowed.org/another-woman-comes-forward-harrowing-story-forced-abortion

[12] I am told that in 2008, I was the first person to address the European Parliament on the issue of the One Child Policy.  This 2008 address comprises the chapter on the One Child Policy in the book, “Human Rights in China After the Olympic Games,” currently available on Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Human-Rights-China-After-Olympics/dp/1448610567/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247847877&sr=1-1

[13] Alexandra Ludka and Gloria Riviera.  “Forced Abortion in China Prompts Apology and Three Officials Suspended.” 6/15/12

http://abcnews.go.com/International/forced-abortion-china-prompts-apology-officials-suspended/story?id=16579517#.T_e2WXAio7A

[14] Nancy Northup.  Letter to the Editor, New York Times, “Forced Abortion in China,” 7/4/12.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/05/opinion/forced-abortion-in-china.html

[15] Concerning backing up words with actions, it is appropriate here to mention ardent pro-choice feminist, Cori Schumacher, the 2011 reigning Women’s World Longboard Surfing Champion.  Schumacher boycotted the 2011 World Tour because one of the events was to be held in China. Citing Women’s Rights Without Frontiers and the November 10, 2009 hearing before the United States Congress Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (called by Rep. Chris Smith), Schumacher wrote the following to the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP):

“I have deep political and personal reservations with being a part of any sort of benefit to a country that actively engages in human rights violations, specifically those in violation of women. The ASP’s reconnaissance of possible sites in China for events last year and its first ASP event in China followed an important US congressional hearing on China’s “One Child Policy,” a policy sanctioned by the Chinese government that is implicated in gendercide, sexual slavery, forced sterilization and forced abortions. (http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/index.php?nav=congressional)”

Cori Schumacher, “Women’s Rights Without Frontiers; Standing her Ground,” Curl Magazine, 12/17/11  http://corischumacher.com/tag/womens-rights-without-frontiers/

[16] Josh Chin.  “Think Tank Calls China to Adjust One-Child Policy” 7/3/12 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304211804577504360440496118.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[17] Wei Xing Zhu, Li Lu and Therese Hesketh. (2009) BMJ:  China’s excess males, sex-selective abortion and one child policy:  analysis of data from 2005 national intercensus survey.  http://www.bmj.com/content/338/bmj.b1211.abstract

[18] Josh Chin.  Another High-Profile Call to Revisit China’s One-Child Rule, 7/5/12

http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2012/07/05/another-high-profile-call-to-revisit-chinas-one-child-rule/

Posted in Association of Surfing Professionals, cao ruyi, Center for Reproductive Rights, Chen Guangcheng, Chen Kegui, China's One Child Policy, Chris Smith, coerced abortion, Cori Schumacher, European Parliament, Feng Jianmei, International Planned Parenthood Federation, IPPF, Jing Zhang, Josh Chin, Nancy Northup, pro-choice, pro-life, Reggie Littlejohn, reproductive health, reproductive rights, right to choose, Uncategorized, UNFPA, Women's Rights in China, Women's Rights Without Frontiers, Zhang Wen Feng | Comments Off on Feng Jianmei, the European Parliament and Forced Abortion: Reggie Littlejohn’s Congressional Testimony Today

BREAKING — European Parliament Resolution Strongly Condemns Forced Abortion in China, citing Feng Jianmei

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Reggie Littlejohn

The European Parliament has just adopted a resolution strongly condemning forced abortions and sterilizations under China’s One Child Policy, including the forced abortion at seven months of Feng Jianmei, which occurred last month in Shaanxi Province, China.

Specifically, the resolution, 2012/2712 (RSP)  “strongly condemns the decision to force Ms. Feng to have an abortion and condemns the practice of forced abortions and sterilizations globally, especially in the context of the one‑child policy.”  The resolution further states that “the EU has provided, and still provides, funds for organizations involved in family planning policies in China,” and “urges the Commission to ensure that its funding of projects does not breach” the European Parliament’s commitment against coercive population control.

Reggie Littlejohn, President of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, welcomed this decision with high praise. “I have twice addressed the European Parliament on the One Child Policy, and I know how passionate the MEPs are, both from the pro-life and the pro-choice perspectives.  The fact that these forces were able to join together to condemn forced abortion is a masterpiece of coalition building.  As my message has been from the beginning, whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, no one supports forced abortion, because it is not a choice.”

Littlejohn also lauded the European Parliament’s acknowledgement that it provides funding for family planning in China, and its decision to investigate whether this funding might be associated with coercion.  Littlejohn stated, “The UNFPA and International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) work hand in hand with the Chinese population control machine, which is coercive.  They are funded by many nations, not only in Europe but the world over, including the United States.  I have no doubt that any investigation by the European Parliament or others will reveal that these organizations are complicit with coercive family planning in China.”

Littlejohn added, “I hope that this courageous action by the European Parliament will serve as a model for governments all over the world to join the outcry against forced abortion in China — and to stop funding it.”

Women’s Rights Without Frontiers broke the story of Feng Jianmei to the west.  (Warning, graphic image.)  http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/blog/?p=667

Littlejohn’s first address to the European Parliament comprises the chapter on the One Child Policy in the book, “Human Rights in China After the Olympic Games,” currently available on Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Human-Rights-China-After-Olympics/dp/1448610567/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247847877&sr=1-1

Watch a 4-minute video exposing the truth about forced abortion in China:

http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/?nav=stop-forced-abortion

Sign a petition to stop forced abortion:

http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/index.php?nav=sign_our_petition

Posted in abortion, Brussels, coerced abortion, European Parliament, Feng Jianmei, Forced Abortion, International Planned Parenthood Federation, IPPF, UNFPA | Comments Off on BREAKING — European Parliament Resolution Strongly Condemns Forced Abortion in China, citing Feng Jianmei

Reggie Littlejohn to Speak at the Victims of Communism Memorial Commemoration in DC Today

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Reggie Littlejohn


http://victimsofcommunism.org/media/article.php?article=7743
Victims of Communism Memorial, June 12, 2012
Remarks by Reggie Littlejohn, President
Women’s Rights Without Frontiers

Dr. Edwards and honored guests, I am greatly humbled by being asked to speak on this somber anniversary commemorating five years of the Victims of Communism Memorial.  It is fitting that the Memorial statue itself is a replica of the Goddess of Democracy erected by the students on Tianamen Square – a beacon of hope for those students before they were then so brutally slaughtered by their own government.

Indeed, this is the hallmark of Communistic governments:  the peacetime mass killings of their own citizens.   It is estimated that the former Soviet Union under Stalin committed 20 million such killings, and that the Chinese Communist Party under Mao Tse-tung committed 65 million:  together, 85 million.  This number of murders of innocent civilians by their own governments boggles the mind.

And yet even this number is dwarfed by another, hidden category of victims of communism – victims of China’s One Child Policy.

Women’s Rights Without Frontiers has learned that a woman in Shanxi Province, China, was forcibly aborted at seven months of pregnancy on June 3, 2012 – just last week.

Feng Jianmei was beaten and dragged into a vehicle by a group of Family Planning Officials while her husband, Deng Jiyuan, was out working.  The officials asked for RMB 40,000 in fines from Feng Jianmei’s family.  When they did not receive the money, they forcibly aborted Feng at seven months, laying the body of her aborted baby next to her in the bed.

Feng Jianmei is not alone.  The Chinese Communist Party estimates that it has “prevented” 400 million lives through its brutal One Child Policy.  Every one of these 400 million snuffed out lives is a victim of communism.

Affecting 1.3 billion people, the coercive enforcement of China’s One Child Policy causes more violence against women and girls than any other official policy on earth and any other official policy in the history of the world.

  1. Forced abortion is traumatic to women.   This can happen up to the ninth month of pregnancy.  Some forced abortions are so violent that the women themselves die, along with their full term babies.  Forced abortion is official government rape.
  1. Women who have violated the policy are often victims of forced sterilization, which can lead to life-long health complications.  These forced abortions and forced sterilizations are often performed without anesthesia.
  2. A document leaked out of China in November 2009 discusses methods of infanticide, including the puncturing of the skulls and injecting alcohol into the brains of full term babies, usually girls, to kill them during labor.
  3. Because of the traditional preference for boys, sex-selective abortion of girls is common — a form of “gendercide.”
  4. Because of this gendercide, there are an estimated 37 million more men than women in China today.   This gender imbalance is a major force driving sexual slavery of women and girls in Asia.
  5. China has the highest female suicide rate of any country in the world – approximately 500 women a day.  I believe this high suicide rate is related to forced abortion.

The One Child Policy is causing a slow-motion demographic disaster.  Not only does the nation now suffer from a destabilizing gender imbalance, but also, there are not enough young people to sustain China’s rapidly ageing population.  Why, then, does China continue this policy?

I believe that China’s One Child Policy is keeping the regime in place.  It is social control, masquerading as population control.  The Chinese Communist Party wields forced abortion as an instrument of terror to keep its people down.  The infrastructure of population control coercion can be turned in any direction, to crush dissent. The use of a system of paid informants to identify illegally pregnant women tears at relationships of trust.  If you cannot trust anyone, you cannot organize for democracy.

The true spirit of Communism is most clearly seen in the faces of the Chinese population control police as they drag women away, beat them, strap them down to tables, and force them to abort babies that they want, up to the ninth month of pregnancy.  Whether China will turn and become a free, democratic nation, or whether China will continue down the path of totalitarian destruction, is the greatest issue of the twenty-first century and has vast implications for our own national security.  Supporting democracy in China should be among the highest priorities of the leaders of the free world.

Posted in One Child Policy, Uncategorized, Victims of Communism | 2 Comments

BREAKING: (Warning, graphic image) Chinese Woman Forcibly Aborted at Seven Months

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Reggie Littlejohn

Feng Jianmei with her forcibly aborted baby.  (Credit:  64 Tianwang)

Shanxi Province, China.  Women’s Rights Without Frontiers has learned that a woman was forcibly aborted at seven months of pregnancy on June 3, 2012.

According to a report by the China-based human rights organization 64Tianwang, the woman, Feng Jianmei, was beaten and dragged into a vehicle by a group of Family Planning Officials while her husband, Deng Jiyuan, was out working.  The officials asked for RMB 40,000 in fines from Feng Jianmei’s family.  When they did not receive the money, they forcibly aborted Feng at seven months, laying the body of her aborted baby next to her in the bed.  Feng is under medical treatment in Ankang City, Zhenpin County, Zengjia Town, Yupin village.

Reggie Littlejohn, president of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, stated, “This is an outrage.  No legitimate government would commit or tolerate such an act.  Those who are responsible should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity.  WRWF calls on the United States government and the leaders of the free world to strongly condemn forced abortion and all coercive family planning in China.”

Sign a petition against forced abortion here:
http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/index.php?nav=sign_our_petition

Watch a video about forced abortion here:
http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/?nav=stop-forced-abortion

Read the original report about Feng Jianmei here:
http://www.64tianwang.com/bencandy.php?fid-7-id-10243-page-1.htm

Posted in abortion, China's One Child Policy, coerced abortion, Forced Abortion, One Child Policy, pro-choice, pro-life, Reggie Littlejohn | 8 Comments

China: Five Month Pregnant Woman Still in Danger of Forced Abortion

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Reggie Littlejohn

Changsha, Hunan Province, China.  On the night of June 6, 2012, Women’s Rights Without Frontiers received an emergency email about a Chinese woman in danger of forced abortion.

At least a dozen family planning officials broke into the home of Cao Ruyi, five months pregnant with her second child, and dragged her to the hospital for a forced abortion.  Her husband, Li Fu, was beaten on the way to the hospital and told that if he and his wife did not consent to a “voluntary” abortion, his wife would be forced to abort.  Over the weekend, the hospital released Cao Ruyi upon payment of a fine of US $1500 “social compensation fee.”   Family Planning Officials still demand an additional payment of US $25,000 for her to continue her pregnancy.

Women’s Rights Without Frontiers president Reggie Littlejohn stated,  “The plight of Mrs. Cao and her husband vividly demonstrates the brutality of China’s One Child Policy.  The Chinese Communist Party has reported 13 million abortions a year.  How many millions of Chinese women will be forced to abort their babies this year?  We strongly condemn forced abortion and urge the international community to take a stand against this heinous crime against humanity.”

Littlejohn continued, “The suffering of this couple reveals several truths about the One Child Policy.  Despite official denials, China still enforces its One Child Policy through late term forced abortion.  These forced abortions occur in major cities, such as Changsha, not just in the countryside.  Also, officials will beat and detain ‘illegally pregnant’ couples to extract consent to a “voluntary” abortion.  Finally we see the enormity of the fines, which can reach ten times a person’s annual salary.  These fines are impossible for most couples to pay.  They then may become victims of forced abortion.”

Congressman Chris Smith issued a statement urging that Cao Ruyi be allowed to continue her pregnancy.  Bob Fu, president of China Aid, communicated with the couple over the weekend.

“WRWF is relieved that Mrs. Cao was released from the hospital.  But if the couple is unable to pay this heavy additional fine, what will happen to them?  Unless international pressure is applied, Mrs. Cao will likely be forcibly aborted.  They are not out of danger.”

Sign a petition to end forced abortion here.

http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/index.php?nav=sign_our_petition

Watch a video about forced abortion in China here.
Stop Forced Abortion – China’s War on Women! Video (4 mins)

http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/?nav=stop-forced-abortion

Posted in abortion, China's One Child Policy, Chris Smith, coerced abortion, Forced Abortion, Human Rights, One Child Policy, pro-choice, pro-life, Reggie Littlejohn, reproductive rights, right to choose, Women's Rights Without Frontiers | Comments Off on China: Five Month Pregnant Woman Still in Danger of Forced Abortion

Reggie Littlejohn Receives “Spirit of Tiananmen” Award, Honors Chen Guangcheng

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Reggie Littlejohn


Reggie Littlejohn stands with friends from China Aid's Los Angeles office, after receiving the "Spirit of Tiananmen" award.


Reggie Littlejohn spoke at the Commemoration of the 23rd Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, hosted by the Visual Artists Guild of Los Angeles.  Speaking in honor of Chen Guangcheng, she then found to her surprise that she was the recipient of the coveted “Spirit of Tiananmen” Award.  Here are her remarks:

I am greatly humbled to speak to you in honor of one of the greatest and most noble heroes of our time – one of the human rights giants of the twenty-first century, the Gandhi of China — activist Chen Guangcheng.  Blinded by a childhood illness, Chen taught himself law and at first advocated for the rights of the disabled.  The Chinese Communist Party ignored him until he began to advocate for the rights of women who were victims of the massive, systematic use of forced abortion and sterilization in his city – Linyi.  Chen bravely filed a class action lawsuit on their behalf, and that’s when all hell broke loose for him and his family.  It is fitting that we should honor him on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.  The same brutal regime that massacred students on Tiananmen Square also has brutalized Chen and his family for seven years.  Here is our  video, Free Chen Guangcheng!

http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/?nav=free-chen-guangcheng

Chen miraculously escaped from illegal house detention.  Chen has no religious affiliation, yet he said, “God rescued me.”  I have been advocating for Chen’s release since 2008 – five times in the U.S. Congress, twice at the European Parliament, and at the British and Irish Parliaments as well.  I have also briefed the White House, State Department and Vatican about Chen and One Child Policy issues.

Women’s Rights Without Frontiers has been leading the international coalition to free Chen.

We released the Chen Guangcheng Report in Chinese on Chen’s 40th birthday, and in English at a Congressional Hearing on December 6, 2011.

http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/index.php?nav=chen-report

We collected more than 11,000 signatures on our Free Chen petition. http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/index.php?nav=chen-guangcheng#pet

We also have 500 Free Chen Sunglasses Portraits from all over the world.http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/index.php?nav=chen-sunglasses

We sent two big packages of Christmas cards to Chen in December 2011.

When I flew to New York City one week ago today to welcome Chen to the United States, it was one of the most exciting moments of my life.

While Chen is free, his family and friends are not.  For example:

  • His nephew, Chen Kegui, is detained and has been accused of attempted murder.
  • His brother, Chen Guangfu, was detained and tortured.  He now seeks justice for his son, Chen Kegui.
  • Lawyer Jian Tianyong has been repeatedly beaten and detained because of his support of Chen.

China’s One Child Policy

Lost in the drama of Chen’s escape is the issue for which he risked everything:  the abuse of women and families under China’s One Child Policy.

Stop Forced Abortion – China’s War on Women! Video (4 mins)

http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/?nav=stop-forced-abortion

Stop Forced Abortion – China’s War on Women!  Chinese Video (4 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chMrStGhJk

Affecting 1.3 billion people, the coercive enforcement of China’s One Child Policy causes more violence against women and girls than any other official policy on earth and any other official policy in the history of the world.

  1. Forced abortion is traumatic to women.   This can happen up to the ninth month of pregnancy.  Some forced abortions are so violent that the women themselves die, along with their full term babies.
  2. Women who have violated the policy are often victims of forced sterilization, which can lead to life-long health complications.  These forced abortions and forced sterilizations are often performed without anesthesia.
  3. A document leaked out of China in November 2009 discusses methods of infanticide, including the puncturing of the skulls and injecting alcohol into the brains of full term babies, usually girls, to kill them during labor.
  4. Because of the traditional preference for boys, sex-selective abortion of girls is common — a form of “gendercide.” Women’s Rights Without Frontiers will be featured as the leading expert in a new feature-length documentary entitled “It’s a Girl,” about gendercide in India and China.
  5. Because of this gendercide, there are an estimated 37 million more men than women in China today.   This gender imbalance is a major force driving sexual slavery of women and girls in Asia.
  6. China has the highest female suicide rate of any country in the world – approximately 500 women a day.  I believe this high suicide rate is related to forced abortion.

The true spirit of the Chinese Communist Party is most clearly seen in the faces of the population control police as they drag women away, beat them, strap them down to tables, and force them to abort babies that they want, up to the ninth month of pregnancy.  Blind, beaten, impoverished and imprisoned, Chen nevertheless possesses the insurmountable courage to stand alone against this repressive regime.  He and his wife, Yuan Weijing, are true warriors for women’s rights, willing to shed their own blood for the women and families of China.  When the One Child Policy ends, the name of Chen Guangcheng shall be forever credited with that great and hard-fought victory for women’s rights and freedom.

Posted in Chen Guangcheng, China's One Child Policy, One Child Policy, Reggie Littlejohn, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Reggie Littlejohn Receives “Spirit of Tiananmen” Award, Honors Chen Guangcheng

Reggie Littlejohn to Testify Concerning Chen Guangcheng, He Peirong (Pearl) and Jiang Tianyong Today

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Reggie Littlejohn

He Peirong and Jiang Tianyong –

Chinese Communist Repression

Against the Supporters of Chen Guangcheng

Testimony of Reggie Littlejohn, President

Women’s Rights Without Frontiers

May 15, 2012

House Committee on Foreign Affairs,

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health,

and Human Rights

Honorable members of the Sub-Committee, ladies and gentlemen, I am grateful for this opportunity to testify here today, during a sensitive time in engaging the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to free Chen Guangcheng and his family.

I have been asked to brief the Sub-Committee on the treatment of two prominent activists who are supporters of Chen: He Peirong, also known as Pearl, who was instrumental in Chen’s escape, and Jiang Tianyong, a key member of Chen’s legal team.

He Peirong (Pearl)

He Peirong, also known as Pearl, has played a key role in organizing support for Chen within China.  When I testified about her on May 3, she had been detained for almost a week and I was very concerned that she might be tortured to learn the names of others in her network.  The very day after the hearing, at which her case was strongly raised by Rep. Chris Smith, Pearl was released and was interviewed by the BBC.

Some say that quiet, back door diplomacy is the way to deal with the detention of Chinese human rights defenders.  But we have found that high profile visibility is far more effective.

Pearl herself seems to have endorsed this approach in her BBC interview.   According to this interview, she was confined to a hotel room.  The police were “polite,” but persistent in their effort to obtain information, which Pearl did not divulge.  About her own safety, she said, “I was very concerned, but once the thing went public, I was no longer worried.”[1]

I skyped with Pearl the day after her release, and again on this past Saturday.  Pearl is grateful that she was treated so well in detention in Nanjing.  This has not always been the case.   I understand from a reliable source that she has encountered violence three times in Shandong:

  • On Jan 10th, 2011, She drove to Chen’s village, where pain clothes guards smashed her car outside of  Chen’s house.
  • On May 30 2011, she went to Yinan county for Chen’s case and plainclothes guards kidnapped, robbed and beat her. They struck her face 30 to 40 times. She was subjected to a painful position for four hours while being driven in a car, and she was dumped on a road by thugs.
  • On June 6 2011, she went to Yinan county for Chen’s case again. In the local official’s office she was kidnapped and robbed again. The pain clothes guards drove her for over four hours and dumped her in the middle of wheat field in Jiangsu. Two men kicked her into a field.  They tried to stuff her socks into her mouth, tied her up in the field and touched her breast twice.  A video at a highway toll station showed that the police in Yinan County were involved.

Despite the violence she has suffered, Pearl wants to remain in China for the protection of her friends.  Pearl has asked me to make this statement for her at this hearing:

“I would like to thank everyone who fights for our freedom:  activists, Congressmen and Congresswomen, as well as the U.S. Government, the State Department, Secretary Clinton, and the United States. I hope I will visit this great country one day, but now I just want to stay with my friends in China.  What I want is for all my friends to be safe.”

Jiang Tianyong

Jiang Tianyong has taken up several sensitive legal matters and has long been a member of Chen’s legal team.  For this, he has suffered violence on several occasions.

Most recently, according to media reports, Jiang Tianyong tried to visit Chen Guangcheng in the hospital, and for this he was beaten so severely in the head that he may have lost hearing in one ear.  He and his family have also been monitored.  Even after this beating, he bravely spoke out for Chen Kegui, Chen Guangcheng’s nephew, who has been accused of intent to murder – even though he was acting in self defense and no one died.  Jiang stated, “the charge of ‘homicide with intent’ had been trumped up and that it should actually be ‘wounding with intent.’”[2]

I understand that Jiang has reached an agreement with officials that he will not try to visit Chen again, he will not meet with foreign media, and he will leave Beijing.  He has now received medical treatment and is no longer being monitored.

This is not the first time that Jiang has suffered violence for his legal bravery.  On November 10, 2009, Jiang Tianyong and I were fellow presenters, sitting at the same table, testifying before Congress on China’s brutal One Child Policy.  Though our testimony was similar, the difference between us was profound.  As an American, I could go home to my family and enjoy safety and peace.  When Jiang left the hearing, he said to his fellow presenters, “I’m worried.  If anything happens to me, please look after my wife and child.”  I stood in awe of his courage – risking not only his own safety, but also the safety of those he loves most, to reveal the truth about the suffering of women and girls in China.

A few days after returning to China, as Jiang was leaving his apartment to take his young daughter to school, his fears materialized.  According to reports, four cadres grabbed him and dragged him off to detention.  Then they beat his wife.  All this happened right in front of their seven-year-old daughter, as she screamed helplessly.

Despite this violence, Jiang has persisted in his bravery. In February 2011, Chen Guangcheng and his wife, Yuan Weijing, secretly recorded a video describing the harsh conditions of their house arrest.  Following the video’s release, they were beaten senseless and were denied medical treatment.   Chen’s legal team tried to gather to discuss ways to assist him but several were placed under house arrest, preventing them from attending this meeting.  Lawyers who did attend the meeting, including Jiang Tianyong and Teng Biao, were later beaten and disappeared for two months or more.  According to a media report, Jiang endured beatings, shouts, shackles, blindfolds, no sunlight. He said he was banged on the head so severely — typically with plastic bottles filled with water — that his memory began to slip. He couldn’t remember his Skype password or how the furniture was arranged in his bedroom back home.[3]

Although Pearl and Jiang appear safe for the moment, who knows whether the Chinese Communist Party will retaliate against them once Chen comes to the United States.  Women’s Rights Without Frontiers calls upon the United States Congress and the Department of State to raise the issue of the safety of Chen’s supporters, who are heroes in their own right.

[1] “He Peirong Describes Chen’s Escape,” BBC 5/4/12   http://audioboo.fm/boos/785812-he-peirong-describes-chen escape?utm_campaign=detailpage&utm_content=retweet&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

[2] Lawyers for Chen Kegui Face Threats, Taipei Times, 5/12/12 http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2012/05/12/2003532645/1

[3] In the Chen Case, Collateral Damage, International Herald Tribune Rendevous, New York Times Blog, 5/7/12 http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/07/in-the-chen-case-collateral-damage/

Posted in Chen Guangcheng, He Peirong, Jiang Tianyong, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Reggie Littlejohn to Testify Concerning Chen Guangcheng, He Peirong (Pearl) and Jiang Tianyong Today

Chen Guangcheng Calls Voice of America During Reggie Littlejohn Interview

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Reggie Littlejohn

Chen Guangcheng called while I was being interviewed on Voice of America today!  I didn’t think he even knew who I was, but he thanked me personally, saying “I would like to thank you for your attention and all the things you have done for such a long time . . . I want to thank all the people who have helped me.  Through their help, I can see that this world is a good one.”  Chen also said that he is feeling better physically, but that there has been no progress in applying for travel documents from the Chinese government.  In addition, he is extremely concerned about his nephew, Chen Kegui, who was beaten for hours with logs and who was still bleeding three hours after the beating ended. Chen Kegui has been charged with intent to murder, even though no one died when Kegui defended himself with knives as cadres violently entered his home and beat his father.

Chen’s call begins at 5:00 and ends at 13:30 on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PLttvMIC9I&list=PL7152AD1F37F23F68&index=2&feature=plpp_video

Posted in Chen Guangcheng, Uncategorized, Voice of America | Comments Off on Chen Guangcheng Calls Voice of America During Reggie Littlejohn Interview

Chen Guangcheng’s Rescuer Released from Detention

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Reggie Littlejohn

Rep. Chris Smith, Reggie Littlejohn and Wang Xuezhen surround a photo of Pearl /He Peirong after the Congressional hearing of May 3

He Peirong, known as Pearl, has been released from detention and has been interviewed by the BBC.  Pearl has become known as the rescuer of blind activist Chen Guangcheng, having driven the car that brought him from Dongshigu village to Beijing.

Reggie Littlejohn, President of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, has been advocting for Pearl’s release.  Littlejohn testified about Pearl at a hearing before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China yesterday, and Rep. Chris Smith took up Pearl’s cause.  Littlejohn stated, “I am relieved and delighted that Pearl has been released – the day after the Congressional hearing at which her case was so strongly raised.  Some say that quiet, back door diplomacy is the way to deal with the detention of Chinese human rights defenders.  But human rights activists have found that high profile, public pressure is far more effective.”

Pearl herself seems to have endorsed this approach in the BBC interview earlier today.   According to this interview, she was confined to a hotel room.  The police were “polite,” but persistent in their effort to obtain information, which Pearl did not divulge.  About her own safety, she said, “I was very concerned, but once the thing went public, I was no longer worried.”  http://audioboo.fm/boos/785812-he-peirong-describes-chen-escape?utm_campaign=detailpage&utm_content=retweet&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

Testifying with Littlejohn was Wang Xuezhen, who said that she was one of the netizens who tried to visit Chen.  She was beaten and strip searched, but said that others were treated far more brutally than she.

Posted in Chen Guangcheng, He Peirong, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Chen Guangcheng’s Rescuer Released from Detention