Congressman Chris Smith Calls on Chinese Government to Stop Forced Abortion Attempt on Cao Ruyi, Who is Five Months Pregnant

China Aid Association
(Washington, DC—June 9, 2012) A leading U.S. congressman has joined other voices in the international community in responding to the case exposed by ChinaAid of Cao Ruyi, who is five months pregnant and facing forced abortion, and called on the Changsha city and Hunan provincial governments to “guarantee her personal safety, respect and protect the basic rights and personal dignity of human beings.”

The urgent June 7 letter from Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) said that “American society, media and even some countries in Europe are closely watching the development of this incident,” which ChinaAid reported about on Thursday. See: https://chinaaid.org/2012/06/caa-woman-five-months-pregnant-facing.html

Smith condemned the government’s decision to force Ms. Cao to abort her baby and called on local officials to immediately cease their attempts to force an abortion on Ms. Cao.

Smith was the congressional leader who held two congressional hearings about the plight of blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng. The hearings led to the eventual Sino-U.S. arrangements to allow Chen to come to the United States. Smith is the chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and the Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights Committee, and is one of the strongest abortion opponents in Congress.

Smith said that China’s compulsory family planning policy “not only violated the people’s basic human rights – reproductive rights and dignity, in fact hurt the physical and mental health of millions of women. We believe that all life is God creation, have the inalienable natural rights. ”

The full text of Smith’s letter is below:

Dear respectable leaders of Kaifu District Family Planning Office, leaders of Changsha Municipal Family Planning Committee, mayor of Changsha Municipality and leaders of Hunan Provincial Family Planning Committee:

We were shocked to learn that a lady called Cao Ruyi who was already pregnant for five months was taken by force by officials of neighborhood family planning office and other employees to Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Care Service Center where they tried to force her to have an abortion or an induced labor.  During the process, Cao the lady and her husband were kicked, punched and were brutally treated.  According to the interviews with Cao and her husband by some US-based non-governmental organizations such as China Aid Association and media  reporters and an interview with a woman official from the neighborhood family planning office, the fact on this incident has been proved true.  We fully feel the seriousness and urgency of this incident.  The American society, media and even some countries in Europe are closely watching the development of this incident.

People all over the world are opposed to the compulsory family planning policy of the Chinese government that has been in force for many years.  The implementation of this policy not only violates people’s basic human rights—the right to bear children and the right to dignity, it has actually also harmed the health of the body and the mind of tens and thousands of women.  It is our belief that all lives are created by God and they have the natural rights that cannot be deprived.  We have noted that the policy of reform and opening-up has brought tremendous changes to China and the world also welcomes an increasingly powerful nation into the international community to make its due contribution to the progress of humanity.

Changsha has become a sister city with several cities in America.  They have a very good cooperation with each other and have a beautiful prospect.  The American people pay close attention to the progress and development in China.  As an elected Congressman, I have the responsibility and obligation to respond to the calls of the people.  After the incident involving Ms. Cao Ruyi in your city was reported by the media, many people in America are closely watching it.  Therefore, I ask you to pay attention to and seriously handle this incident and stop forcing Ms. Cao Ruyi to have an abortion and guarantee her personal safety, respect and protect the basic rights and personal dignity of human beings.

We will continue to watch closely the situation of Ms. Cao Ruyi and pray for her whole family.

God bless China!

US Congressman: Rep Chris Smith, Washington DC.


China Aid Contacts
Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director
Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.chinaaid.org

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Congressman Chris Smith Calls on Chinese Government to Stop Forced Abortion Attempt on Cao Ruyi, Who is Five Months Pregnant

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