The Economist has a interesting article on what they describe as 'a new type of moral activist' which has emerged in China. One such activist, they say, is a slightly built and soft-spoken man, Wang Lin, who is braving the Chinese authorities to spread the pro-life message.
The newspaper reports that on August 2nd Chinese officials announced they would "propose plans to improve" the one-child policy, which often involves brutal coerced abortion.
However, The Economist reports, " Mr Wang's objections are not to the coercion; he opposes abortion itself. His stance would be familiar to Americans, but it is rare in China. Many Chinese oppose the family-planning policy, he says, but as to whether abortion is ethical or not, 'most Chinese do not give it a thought'."
According to the article, shifting social values in China mean that more people are having sex before marriage, leading to pregnancy for 20% of sexually active unmarried women, according to new research. Of those, a shocking 91% resorted to abortion, and now activists like Mr Wang (a pseudonym) publishes brochures and a website that includes graphic images, arguing that life begins at conception and that all killing is wrong.
"He is not entirely alone. Another group of activists bases its anti-abortion stance on Buddhist teachings. Some Christian groups run similar campaigns. In June police reportedly roughed up and briefly detained members of the Autumn Rain church in Chengdu, who were distributing anti-abortion pamphlets on the street," reports the paper.
"Mr Wang, who is a vegan, says he is "spiritual" but not religious. He knows his battle is a tough one, but that does not make him any less determined."
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