BEIJING, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- The Chinese government says it will be cracking down on sex-selective abortions for non-medical purposes.
The family planning policy, announced by the Chinese government in a release Monday, is an attempt to put an end to illegal sex-selective abortions and balance the sex ratio in the country where many people highly value male children to preserve bloodlines, Xinhua reported.
The Outline for the Development of Chinese Children (2011-2020) says efforts to "eliminate discrimination against girls" and continue promoting gender balance should be made.
"Using ultrasonic techniques to conduct non-medical sex determination" should be strictly prohibited, it says.
Family planning policies have been implemented in China for about three decades to control the population. Previously, couples in urban areas were only allowed to have one child.
Nowadays, polices have been loosened. Couples in some parts of the country can have two children if both parents are from one-child homes.
