Whether unmarried women are obliged to undergo pregnancy tests by family planning officials (March 2001) [CHN36803.E]

No report on whether unmarried women were forced to undergo pregnancy tests by family planning officials could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

On 1 July 1995, the Policy and Legislation Department of the Chinese State Family Planning Commission published a "Notification on Adhering Firmly to Seven Disciplines in the Enforcement of Family Planning Laws and Regulations" (UNESCAP 1 July 1995). The "Seven Disciplines" were put forward to strengthen the enforcement of family planning law and to address the wrongdoings in the implementation of family planning at the local level throughout the country (ibid.). The seventh discipline was the prohibition of organizing pregnancy tests for unmarried women (ibid.).

A March 1998 report prepared by the China Population Information and Research Center and Family Health International entitled The Effect of Family Planning on Women's Lives: The Case of the People's Republic of China stated that in the context of offering quality care to women, the family planning program had established a series of "women's checks" or IUD checks in family planning clinics (51). These tests involved mandatory quarterly examinations consisting of pregnancy and ultrasound checks (ibid.). The report makes no mention of unmarried women being forced to undergo pregnancy tests. Research for the report was carried out in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References


Baochang, Gu et al. March 1998. The Effect of Family Planning on Women's Lives: The Case of the People's Republic of China. http://www.fhi.org/en/wsp/wsfinal/pfds/china.pdf [Accessed 29 Mar. 2001]

UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). 1 July 1995. "Notification on Adhering Firmly to Seven Disciplines in the Enforcement of Family Planning Laws and Regulations." http://www.unescap.org/pop/database/law_china/ch_record018.htm [Accessed 28 Mar. 2001]

Additional Sources Consulted


Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2000. 2001

IRB Databases

LEXIS/NEXIS

World News Connection (WNC)

Two oral sources contacted

Internet sites including:

Amnesty International

Asia Week.com

China Online

China Population Information and Research Center (CPIRC)

Human Rights in China

Human Rights Watch

Immigration and Nationality Directorate, UK

People's Daily Online

Population and Family Planning: Laws, Policies and Regulations

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