China’s Brutal Birth Policy Detailed
Denouncing her past work as monstrous, a former Chinese clinic administrator gave U.S. lawmakers a chilling account Wednesday of Beijing’s strict birth control policies.
Gao Xiaoduan told the House International Relations human rights subcommittee that an “extraordinarily high” percentage of women were sterilized after giving birth to a first child and that forced abortions were standard for “unauthorized” pregnancies.
She said her office paid informants to report on unauthorized pregnancies of neighbors, relatives and friends as part of China’s policy of limiting each couple to one child.
She said she quit her job in Fujian province this year, fled China and arrived in the U.S. in April.
The hearing was the second called in less than a week by Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.) for testimony on alleged rights violations in China.
House Republicans are stepping up pressure on China before President Clinton’s visit to Beijing starting June 25, and congressional members seized on Gao’s testimony to urge Clinton to blast Beijing’s coercive practices during his visit.
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