China's Henan province bans abortion drugs

China's Henan province on Monday banned the sale of drugs for medical abortions in coordination with the province's efforts to maintain gender balance among infants, Xinhua/China Daily reports.

People who violate the law could receive fines of between $385 and $2,564 and risk having their illegal profits seized by the state, and a pregnant woman who undergoes an abortion illegally could face a fine of $256.

According to Xinhua/China Daily, local government sources said the ban could be seen as a measure to support regulations prohibiting sex-selective abortion in the province.

Under those regulations, which took effect on Monday, abortion is permitted only if the fetus has a serious hereditary disease or severe birth defect, if continuation of gestation will damage the health or life of the pregnant woman, or if the pregnant woman is divorced or widowed (Xinhua/China Daily, 1/3).

A 2000 census found that the ratio of infant boys to infant girls in Henan was about 118 boys for every 100 girls. The worldwide ratio is about 107 boys to 100 girls (BBC News, 1/3).

According to the Henan Population and Family Planning Commission, the direct cause of the imbalance was gender identification with "advanced technology" and abortions of female fetuses (Xinhua/China Daily, 1/3).

Sex-selective abortion is banned nationwide, but physicians who help people determine a fetus' sex for nonmedical reasons generally face only administrative penalties (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 8/3/06).