TIME on China: "Brutally Coercive"

Two China stories jumped out at me from TIME Magazine. To any follower of China, these stories come as no surprise. Why Forced Abortions Persist in China Harrowing details have emerged in recent news reports of alleged forced abortions in China's impoverished Guangxi province. Earlier this month as many as 61 pregnant women were injected with an abortive drug after being dragged to local hospitals, according to media accounts. Human rights activists say actions allegedly carried out by family planning officials there are unlikely to be isolated. Along with forced sterilization and other coercive methods of birth control, forced abortion continues to be practiced occasionally by officials in remote parts of China despite it having been banned by the central government in Beijing. Report: China Human Rights Still Poor (BEIJING) — China has failed to live up to promises to improve human rights for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Amnesty International said in a report Monday despite the nation's reforms to the death penalty system and more freedoms for foreign reporters.