Abortions in the city rise as ignorance towards options persists

Reports released this week by No. 411 Hospital of People’s Liberation Army’s hotline suggest that over 35 surgical abortions have been performed in Shanghai since February this year. The cause is said to be linked to poor levels of sex education amongst minors in the city.

Despite the fact that China was the first country to develop mifepristone, the abortion-inducing drug during the 1990’s, many young women are said to be unaware of the optimum period to take abortion-inducing drugs that terminate unwanted pregnancies.

So what is the key to reducing abortion amongst young women in the city? Li Ying a professor at Peking University was spot on when she told China Daily ‘Chinese parents are reluctant to teach their children about sex. Sex education needs to be strengthened, with universities and our society giving more guidance.’

Currently, around 62 percent of women receiving abortions in China are between the ages of 20-29 and most are single.