Catholic Republican challenges China's Forced Abortion Program

Two United States Congressmen are attempting to draw world awareness to China's practice of coerced abortions by calling for the cancellation of 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing unless it halts its oppressive "one child" population control policy. Robert B. Bluey reports for Human Events Online:

Representatives Chris Smith (R.-N.J.) and Tom Tancredo (R.-Colo.) made the demands on China at a congressional hearing called Tuesday to shed light on the case of Mao Hengfeng, who was forced to undergo an abortion and is currently being subjected to torture. Mao's pregnancy 15 years ago violated China's family planning policy, and her protests since then landed her in one of the country's "re-education through labor" camps.

"One of the few things we have available to us right now is this issue of the Olympics," Tancredo said. "We could draw a lot of attention, even if we could get the movement started. Whether it's successful or not, if there was actually a real threat to China, perhaps the world might step away from this because of the ugly kind of press and attention it's getting . . ." [READ MORE].

As Vice-Chairman of the House International Relations Committee, Chris Smith told Human Events that he intends to "propose a resolution at the beginning of the 109th Congress addressing this situation in China." Rep. Smith joins Arther E. Dewey, assistant secretary for population, refugees and migration at the U.S. State Department, in protesting the reluctance of certain members of the United Nations and the human rights community to include forced abortion and sterilization among its list of human rights violations.

Many people are aware of China's "one child" policy (I myself can recall learning about it in college). What is little known, says Smith, is the devastating emotional toll it has on China's women. According to Smith, "a State Department human rights report shows that 500 women commit suicide in China every day because of the coercive population control program. "As a matter of fact," Smith said, "the report points out that 56 percent of the world's female suicides occur in the People's Republic of China." (Source: Keith Peters, Family News In Focus).

• "Congressmen Warn China: Stop Abuses or Lose 2008 Olympics", by Robert B. Bluey. Human Events Online. Dec. 15, 2004.
  
• Statement of Chris Smith on China's Human Rights Violations and Coercion in One Child Policy Enforcement, Dec. 14, 2004.
  
• Testimony of Ma Dongfang, Victim of Planned Birth Policy. Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives. December 14, 2004 Dec. 14, 2004.
  
• "Better Ten Graves Than One Extra Birth: China's Systemic Use of Coercion to Meet Population Quotas", soon-to-be-published English translation of the 2003 Chinese expose by the Laogai Research Foundation (LRF).
  

Representatives Chris Smith (R.-N.J.) is Catholic. Tom Tancredo (R.-Colo.) is Presbyterian. Both are staunch pro-life Republicans and have earned the scorn and 0% rating by NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League) -- A mark of honor, in my book.