They force officials in northern China to undergo pregnancy tests quarterly

The Chinese officials in the area of Shangluo, in the northeastern province of Shaanxi, China, will have to undergo tests pregnancy quarterly, by order of the local authorities in family planning , said Thursday the government newspaper Global Times. The Commission on Population and Family Planning of Shangluo said the officials who refuse to be tested will be "punished" and that having children should use an intrauterine device, or IUD, the most widely used contraceptive method in China, the paper said . The Commission explained that the frequent pregnancy tests allow perform abortions "on time" if women who become pregnant are not allowed to raise a baby. "The local committee has to take steps to fulfill their family fee , "said a former agency mentioned expert and researcher at the Academy of Social Sciences, Shanghai, Liang Zhongtang.

Requirements common

According to Liang, but Chinese law does not specify the frequency, the requirements of pregnancy tests are very common in the cities and towns of China. The measure, but was enacted in August 2012, only became public this Saturday. The decision has been widely criticized microblogs country. In May 2007, the local press reported the case of a student of a technical institute in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to which education authorities forced them to undergo annual health checks , including detection of possible pregnancy . If a student was pregnant, was expelled from school. Last June it was reported that a woman was forced to abort a fetus of more than seven months of gestation in Ankang City (Shaanxi), prompting the dismissal of three officials. in China couples can only have one child unless both parents are only children (a situation in which they are allowed to have two children). In rural areas also allowed a second child if the first child is a girl. The one-child policy, very unpopular in the country, was established in late 1970 to curb overpopulation in China and, according to government statistics, has managed to stop the annual population growth from 1.35 million new people per year in 1980 to the current 630,000 .

Fines including several years of wages

Couples who do not comply with the laws of the scheme can be fined several years' wages , the cancellation of access to social services or even their members can be imprisoned . The penalty for each child over can be up to 60,000 yuan (about 6,000 euros). The 'black children' (born in illegality) have no legal recognition.