"Women Who Have Had Abortions Give Birth to Children with Lower Intelligence"… Absurd Poster at Chinese Hospital

Poster on Abortion Displayed at Hospital in Heyuan, China
"Children of Women with Abortion Experience Are Rebellious and Disrespectful"
Controversy Over Lack of Scientific Evidence... Hospital States "Only Allowed Display"

A controversy has arisen after a woman who experienced abortion (pregnancy termination) at a hospital in China claimed that the child she gave birth to has a low intelligence quotient. On the 13th, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that "a hospital in Heyuan City, Guangdong Province, southern China, posted a poster opposing abortion in the patient waiting room." The poster emphasized the risks of abortion and miscarriage with phrases such as "Filial piety is the foremost of all wholesome acts, and fornication is the worst of all unwholesome acts," and listed side effects of abortion including depression, anxiety, insomnia, endometritis, and infertility.

A poster related to abortion posted at a hospital in Heyuan City, China. WeChat

Moreover, the poster contained scientifically unfounded statements in red letters such as "Abortion cuts off the family line and harms the vitality of male family members," and "Children born to mothers who have experienced abortion are rebellious, quick-tempered, disrespectful to parents, underweight, have low intelligence quotients, and poor health." It also used inappropriate imagery by depicting "bad-tempered children" as girls and "good-tempered children" as boys.

As this photo spread through social networking services (SNS), critical voices poured in, saying things like "Is this really a public interest campaign?", "Is this the Qing Dynasty?", "While abortion does seriously harm women's health, it is distorted to suggest harm to men and families," and "This is absurd."

As the controversy grew, the hospital explained, "This was not initiated by us but by an external organization, the local Health and Wellness Committee," and added, "Our hospital did not promote or review this campaign and only allowed the display." However, opinions on this explanation are divided. If this reflects the awareness of the Health and Wellness Committee, it is a bigger problem, and there is criticism that the poster was posted indiscriminately without review. However, a local resident told SCMP, "Many families in Heyuan City request abortion after confirming the fetus's gender if it is a girl," and "This poster appears to be intended to prevent such practices."

In China, about 9 million abortions were performed in 2023, while the number of births in the same year was recorded as 9.02 million. In other words, abortions occurred in numbers comparable to births. More than 50% of the abortions were among unmarried women aged 15 to 24.