SPUC condemns awarding of Olympics to rights-abusing China

Westminster, 13 July 2001--The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has condemned the awarding of the 2008 Olympic Games to China, warning that the move will do nothing to stop human rights abuses such as China's policy of enforced sterilisation and abortion.

Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's political secretary, said: "We must never forget the track-record of the governing régime. We believe that awarding the games to Beijing will boost this régime and provide cover for its human rights abuses, just as the 1936 Berlin games boosted Hitler's régime."

SPUC is not alone in drawing attention to the notorious one-child policy. Mr Ozimic added: "Amnesty International has claimed that relatives of pregnant women have been imprisoned in order to pressure the mothers to have abortions. The US State Department has said that women in labour camps have been forced to abort their babies. The same department has evidence of other forced abortions and of compulsory sterilisation.

"The BBC has reported that Chinese refugees arriving in Australia have cited coercive family-planning as a reason for leaving their homeland. Even a Chinese official journal has admitted that the country's population control programme involves coercion.

"Countries like Britain cannot simply blame the Chinese government, since they are implicated in this gross denial of human rights. British government money goes to UN and other organisations which fund China's state-run family planning organisations. These, in turn, force couples to abort their children. Before shedding crocodile tears over human rights abuses, western governments should put their own houses in order."