China announced on Tuesday (16) a series of measures to reduce the number of abortions in the country and encourage families to have more children, as part of efforts to circumvent low birth rates and prevent the population from declining after birth. 2025
In releasing new national guidelines for reproductive health, the National Health Commission (CNS) said it would act to promote public awareness of the issue, while preventing unwanted pregnancies and reducing abortions that “are not medically necessary.”
In China, abortions have been accessible for several decades and, according to a report by the health authority, more than 9.5 million procedures were performed between 2015 and 2019. During the one-child policy, women were even forced to terminate pregnancies considered ” illegal”, and the preference for sons in the country has also led to an increase in sex selective procedures.
Recently, the most populous country in the world — with more than 1.41 billion inhabitants — recorded its lowest population growth rate since the 1950s and recognized that it is experiencing a demographic crisis that threatens its economic development due to the aging of citizens in active age.
By 2022, new births in China are expected to drop to record levels, falling below 10 million. Last year, the country registered 10.6 million babies – 11.5% less compared to 2020.
Despite Beijing ending its one-child policy in 2016 and allowing couples to have up to three children since last year, birth rates have not risen again. The cost of living and the custom of having families with fewer members help to explain this process.
Now, in addition to discouraging abortion, China will introduce new measures to encourage population growth. The new guidelines released by the CNS on Tuesday urge local governments to increase spending on reproductive health and improve childcare services.
The health authority calls on governments to develop active measures to support fertility, including subsidies, tax cuts, health plans, as well as education, housing and work aid for young families.
Wealthier cities already provide tax credits and even cash incentives to encourage women to have more children. The aim of the CNS is to pressure the rest of the country to take similar measures.
All provinces will have to ensure, for example, that by the end of the year there are enough daycare centers for children aged two to three, in an attempt to reduce the shortage of childcare services. In addition, the authority wants local governments to gradually include assisted reproductive technology in their national medical system — which is often very expensive and not accessible to single women.
The country had already been introducing financial support policies for families with more than one child, but Tuesday’s guidelines mark the most sweeping announcement at the national level.
New projections indicate that India is expected to overtake China as the world’s most populous country in 2023 — four years ahead of schedule before the pandemic.
