A think tank in China is urging an end to the country's one-child policy, but it remains unclear whether that effort is real or propaganda.
Steve Mosher of the Population Research Institute (PRI) is pleased that someone in China is "courageous enough to point out that the one-child policy is a disaster."
"Now, of course, the government think tank is not talking about 400 million women who have been aborted under duress; they're not talking about massive human rights violations," Mosher notes.
Steve Mosher of the Population Research Institute (PRI) is pleased that someone in China is "courageous enough to point out that the one-child policy is a disaster."
"Now, of course, the government think tank is not talking about 400 million women who have been aborted under duress; they're not talking about massive human rights violations," Mosher notes.
"But they are pointing out that there are tens of millions of little girls who have died because of this policy, and they are recommending the gradual abandonment of the policy."
But expanding to two children per family, which is what the think tank has recommended, still means forced abortions for a third child, or those "who get pregnant with a child out of wedlock."
"You know, there are no illegitimate births in China today because a young woman who's not married cannot get permission from the government to have a child," the PRI president explains. "So all illegitimate pregnancies are terminated by the state without question."
Still, Mosher believes the think tank's recommendation is a step in the right direction. He says the government needs to get out of the population control business but does not expect improvement with the incoming leader of China.
Reggie Littlejohn of Women's Rights Without Frontiers told OneNewsNow in September she did not believe a report that the country is ending its forced abortion and sterilization policy. "I think that this is propaganda that the Chinese Communist Party is using to deflect the tremendous turmoil that happened over the forced abortion of Feng Jianmei," she stated.
But expanding to two children per family, which is what the think tank has recommended, still means forced abortions for a third child, or those "who get pregnant with a child out of wedlock."
"You know, there are no illegitimate births in China today because a young woman who's not married cannot get permission from the government to have a child," the PRI president explains. "So all illegitimate pregnancies are terminated by the state without question."
Still, Mosher believes the think tank's recommendation is a step in the right direction. He says the government needs to get out of the population control business but does not expect improvement with the incoming leader of China.
Reggie Littlejohn of Women's Rights Without Frontiers told OneNewsNow in September she did not believe a report that the country is ending its forced abortion and sterilization policy. "I think that this is propaganda that the Chinese Communist Party is using to deflect the tremendous turmoil that happened over the forced abortion of Feng Jianmei," she stated.