Nor is it likely to, given the political backlash it would incur, said Wang Feng, a demography expert at the University of California, Irvine. Still, the government’s rhetoric about childbearing being a public responsibility showed that its overall mind-set, of trying to control women’s fertility choices, had not changed, he added. “It’s exactly the same mentality as when they implemented birth controls,” Professor Wang said. “The government is, I would say, totally oblivious of how society has moved beyond them.”

For the full story, please visit https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/08/world/asia/china-women-children-abortions.html.