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Retailers in central China's Henan Province are banned to sell abortion drugs as of Jan. 1, 2007, as part of the province's efforts to keep gender balance among newborns.

 

Those who violate the rule will have their illegal profits confiscated and will face fines ranging from 3,000 yuan (US$385) to 20,000 yuan (US$2,564). Any pregnant woman who has her baby aborted illegally will also face a fine of 2,000 yuan (US$256).

 

The move can be seen as a supportive measure for a set of regulations to ban fetal gender selection by abortion in the province, which took effect on Jan. 1, local government sources said.

 

According to the regulations, only under the following conditions should abortion be allowed: the fetus has serious hereditary disease or severe defect; continuation of gestation will harm the health or even life of the pregnant woman; the pregnant woman has divorced or lost her spouse.

 

China's fifth population census in 2000 showed the ratio between newborn boys and girls in Henan, which has more than 100 million registered residents, was 118.46:100, considerably higher than the normal ratio of 103-107:100.

 

The direct cause of such imbalance was gender identification with "advanced technology" and abortions of female fetuses, according to Henan Population and Family Planning Commission.

 

The gender imbalance reflects a deep-rooted view among Chinese people, dating back thousands of years, that boys are more valued than girls, and the fact that most Chinese couples are allowed to have only one child.

 

In some rural areas of China, where labor is short, sexual discrimination is especially obvious.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 3, 2007)