Limits of state intervention in sex-selective abortion: the case of China

Sex-selective abortion is the major direct cause of the severe imbalance in the sex ratio at birth - contributing to the phenomenon of over 100 million 'missing' females worldwide and 40 million in China alone. Internationally as well as in China, moral condemnation and legal prohibition constitute the mainstream and official position on sex-selective abortion. This paper characterises the dominant Chinese approach to the issue as state-centred and coercion-oriented. Drawing upon case study material, the paper discusses eight major problems arising from coercive state intervention in sex-selective abortion: neglect of reproductive liberty and reproductive rights; the hidden dangers of state power; inconsistency with existing abortion policies; practical ineffectiveness; underestimating the costs and resistance involved; simplifying and misrepresenting the key issues; the lack of sufficient public discussion; and ignoring the moral and political principles established by traditional Chinese thought. To avoid a solution that is worse than the problem itself, alternative social programmes that are focused on women, community-oriented and voluntary in nature need to be developed.