Family Planning Policy

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Family Planning Policy is one of the basic state policies of China. One-child Policy is part of the Family Planning Policy. “Family Planning Clinic” were present in almost all hospitals in mainland China to provide birth control education, artificial abortion, contraception, and sterilization services. The Family Planning Policy encourages late pregnancy around age of 25-30 (the age of first pregnancy of traditional Chinese women were usually under 20), and promote “better birth and better care”. “Better birth” means giving birth to children with better health conditions, so prenatal screening tests (about 28 USD, not covered by public health insurance), prenatal diagnosis (about 280 USD, not covered by public health insurance) and premarital health examination are highly encouraged. “Very very few patients decided not to do prenatal screening tests, and the majority of patients would decide to go through abortion if there were something wrong with the fetuses.” Said by an Obstetrician in a major hospital in Beijing. The Family Planning Policy also discourages marriage and pregnancy of people with heritable diseases, including many intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities. Although marriages of people with heritable diseases are not forbidden in China by law, this message is printed in brochures and spread to almost all Chinese people.