HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

To: ADC Fetal and Neonatal Edition Letters and ADC Education and Practice Letters

Electronic Letters to:

Leading articles: W X Zhu The One Child Family Policy Arch Dis Child 2003; 88: 463-464 [Full text] [PDF]

eLetters: Submit a response to this article

Electronic letters published:

The one child family policy in China and the gender ratio

Filippo Festini, Giovanni Taccetti, Teresa Repetto, and Maurizio de Martino.   (30 May 2003)

One child whitewash

Scott J. Weinberg   (12 June 2003)

The one child family policy in China and the gender ratio 30 May 2003
Filippo Festini, Head Nurse Cystic Fibrosis Centre of Tuscany, Meyer Hospital, University of Florence, Giovanni Taccetti, Teresa Repetto, and Maurizio de Martino. Send letter to journal: Re: The one child family policy in China and the gender ratio filippo.festini{at}iol.it Filippo Festini, et al.	Dear Editor Zhu points out the favorable effects of the One Child Family Policy (OCFP) on China’s demographic problems and on the population.[1] In our opinion, the considerable, unfavorable consequences of the OCFP are not sufficiently taken into consideration in the article. One of the major problems is the gender imbalance of Chinese population. The gender ratio mentioned by Zhu refers to the entire population, but the data regarding the gender ratio at birth (GRB) show a much more alarming situation. According to the official China’s 2000 Census data, that Zhu does not mention, 117 male children are born every 100 female babies in China, and in some provinces –such as in Hainan- the GRB (male:female) rises up to 135:100.[2] GRBs over 113:100 have been reported in China’s official figures since the late 1980s [3] and the phenomenon seems therefore to be increasing. It’s widely recognized that this abnormal GRB is the direct consequence of the OCFP: in a culture in which a strong traditional preference for boys exists, the OCFP determined the spread of prenatal sex selection practices against female fetuses, through the use of ultrasounds and selective abortion. The underreporting of female births, that Zhu presents as a cause of the abnormal gender ratio, has not been documented. If it existed and was so relevant as to skew the GRB by 10%, we should hypothesize that also the data about the decline of fertility rate in China are substantially biased. Although the OCFP does not seem to be the cause of negative effects on health and psychological conditions for the many only children born in China following the introduction of the policy,[4] yet it is likely to cause them social problems in the next years. Indeed, if China’s family planning policy is not modified so as to reduce GRB, in the next future about one sixth of Chinese young male adults -and up to one third in some rural areas- won’t have the possibility to create a family and to have children, due to the lack of women to marry. References (1) Zhu W X, The One Child Family Policy. Arch Dis Child 2003;88:463-464. (2) Plafker T. Sex selection in China sees 117 boys born for every 100 girls. BMJ 2002;324:1233. (3) Gu B, Roy K. Sex Ratio at Birth in China, with Reference to Other Areas in East Asia: What We Know. Asia-Pacific Population Journal 1995;10:17-42. (4) Hesketh T, Qu J D, Tomkins A. Health effects of family size: cross sectional survey in Chinese adolescents. Arch Dis Child 2003;88:467-471.
One child whitewash 12 June 2003
Scott J. Weinberg, Researcher Population Research Institute Send letter to journal: Re: One child whitewash scott{at}pop.org Scott J. Weinberg	Dear Editor The recent article "The One Child Policy" by W X Zhu [1] notes that: "a strict one child per family policy is imposed in the cities." However, the article downplays the severity of the abuse, and even falsely claiming that: "in 30 pilot counties the policy has been lifted." In May, 2002, the US State Department looked at several of these United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) so-called model counties, and found that they retained coercive elements in law and practice. The UNFPA seeks to help China to cover attrocities by claiming reform. An independent investigation revealed destruction of homes as common practice in one of these pilot counties for women who decide for themselves when to give birth. Coercive abortion is a crime against humanity. It was one of the crimes that Adolph Eichmann was sentenced to death for. China is not shifting away from coercion. Your journal should not support this cover-up.