According to a report published by Shanghai online news portal Sixth Tone, a Guangdong couple has been told they must have an abortion or both lose their government jobs.\u00a0 The wife is eight months pregnant.<\/p>\n
The couple, surnamed Zhong, both have a child from a previous marriage.\u00a0 They thought that they could have a child together under China\u2019s new Two-Child Policy, as is the case in other provinces in China.\u00a0 They were mistaken, under the current laws of Guangdong.<\/p>\n
The due date of Zhong\u2019s child is September 10.\u00a0 She told Sixth Tone that she felt depressed, anxious, trapped. \u00a0\u201cI can\u2019t give up on this child, as I\u2019m almost 40,\u201d she said. \u00a0\u201cAnd it wouldn\u2019t be easy for us to find jobs again, given our ages.\u201d \u00a0Zhong shares her anxieties on WeChat, where approximately 500 people have gathered to share similar experiences.<\/p>\n
Reggie Littlejohn, President of Women\u2019s Rights Without Frontiers, stated, \u201cThe Chinese Communist propaganda machine made a big deal out of its shift to a Two-Child Policy, announcing that they had \u201cabandoned\u201d the One-Child Policy.\u00a0 I immediately stated that this minor modification would not end coercion, and now the proof is beginning to leak out.\u00a0 Our hearts go out to the Zhong family.\u00a0 They are brave indeed to stand up to the intense government pressure to abort at eight months or both lose their jobs.\u00a0 The Chinese government is doing its best to force them to have an abortion by exerting intense financial pressure.\u00a0 The fact that there are 500 people commiserating with them on WeChat demonstrates that they are not alone.\u00a0 This would indicate a pattern or practice of continuing coercion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another Guangdong native, He Liping, is six months pregnant.\u00a0 She faces a crippling fine: \u00a0\u201cI had no idea that we\u2019re not qualified to have a second child until I went to register for a birth permit with the local neighborhood committee.\u201d \u00a0Her husband had a child before marrying her, and they have a two-year old together.\u00a0 She is now six months pregnant.\u00a0 Fines for illegal children in Foshan run 260,000 yuan ($39,000). \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a huge amount of money for an average family like mine,\u201d He told Sixth Tone.<\/p>\n
Littlejohn continued: \u00a0\u201cHe Liping does not face joblessness, but rather what I call a \u2018terror fine.\u2019 \u00a0These fines can be up to ten times a person\u2019s annual salary.\u00a0 Most people cannot afford to pay these fines and are forced to have abortions. In addition, the Chinese government announced earlier this year that they had abolished the birth permit system for first and second children.\u00a0 Clearly, this is not the case.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Chinese Communist Party has not agreed to get out of the bedrooms of the Chinese people.\u00a0 The fact that Sixth Tone is a State-controlled media outlet indicates that even within the Chinese Communist Party there are those who recognize the human tragedy and appalling injustice of coercive population control.\u00a0 We need to keep the international pressure on the Chinese Communist Party until all coercive population control is eradicated.\u00a0 Take action by signing our petition against forced abortion in China.\u201d<\/p>\n
Watch — Stop Forced Abortion \u2013 China\u2019s War on Women! Video (4 mins)<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org\/?nav=stop-forced-abortion<\/a><\/p>\n Read the original Sixth Tone article:<\/p>\n Guangdong Families Told to Have Abortion or Lose Job<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.sixthtone.com\/news\/guangdong-families-told-have-abortion-or-lose-job<\/a><\/p>\n According to a report published by Shanghai online news portal Sixth Tone, a Guangdong couple has been told they must have an abortion or both lose their government jobs.\u00a0 The wife is eight months pregnant. The couple, surnamed Zhong, both … Continue reading