"Although the state has only recently taken an official role in the control of human reproduction, its current policies stem from the age-old concept of

"Although the state has only recently taken an official role in the control of human reproduction, its current policies stem from the age-old concept of the individual's responsibility to the collective. It is this emphasis on the collective good that has driven modern eugenics discourse since the late nineteenth century, when Chinese intellectuals the well-to-do gentry, and government officials explored how to improve the Chinese race after the arrival of the stronger Western imperialist nations. Indeed, nationalism in its many forms remains an important force in eugenics today. Dikötter shows that it is the introduction of modern science in China, particularly after World War I, that opened the real possibility of implementing the eugenic vision. It is in the republican era (1911-1948) that elites called for increased intervention of medical professionals and the state into the sexual lives of citizens." "Government policy on inferior births also increased in severity from the 1950s on, culminating in the 1995 eugenics law, giving rise to many technical and ethical problems. A eugenics policy assumes that all handicaps are irreversible and that education would have no effect. Furthermore, poor definitions of disorders, handicaps, illnesses, and fitness as well as local control of implementation not only erode individual rights but also increase corruption and bureaucratic incompetence. This book shows us the greater problem in post-Mao China- eugenics has been legitimized by medical knowledge that is ever-changing, not to mention packaged and disseminated by those who have a vested interest in the control of human reproduction." Source: http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~hapr/summer00_tech/bookreview.html http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~hapr/summer00_tech/bookreview.ht... "A national survey on ethical and genetic issues of 402 geneticists from 30 provinces and autonomous regions in China showed that 90% called for ethical guidelines for genetics practice and research; 89% supported current Chinese laws on abortion for genetic abnormalities and non-medical indications; more than half opposed sex selection by any means; 55% thought that gene donors should have a right to share in the profits from commercial tests or treatments developed with the use of their genes; and 50% thought that public education on genetics should be the top priority in the Chinese government health budget." Source: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(05)60930-0/fulltext http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-67...