Chinese authorities have said they are preparing to introduce a series of measures to boost the country’s birth rate, including reducing the number of abortions for non-medical reasons.
In addition to reducing abortions, the National Health Administration is also preparing to conduct “reproductive propaganda” to prevent unwanted pregnancies in general.
In 2021, China’s fertility rate was 1.16, well below the standard of 2.1 set by the OECD. According to demographers, Chinese women may have stopped wanting to have children due to the country’s strict privacy controls, which the authorities have further tightened during the COVID-19 pandemic.