Family Planning and Coercion: Abortion as an Inevitable Consequence

The implementation of China's one-child policy created a profound tension between women and families seeking autonomy over their bodies and fertility, and the coercive measures employed by the country's family planning system. This paper explores the complex dynamics involved in family planning, including factors such as son preference, extensive monitoring at both the workplace and family level, and the widespread reliance on abortion as a consequence of coercion. By disregarding the inherent tensions between individuals and family planning policies, enforcing coercion at the local level, and objectifying people, these variables ensured the performance of the one-child policy but inflicted deep pain, trauma, and division within individuals and families. This paper argues that Chinese family planning fostered a relationship between individuals and communities that incentivized the neglect of individuality and emotions while segregating people by objectification, which made abortion the only "choice" for women who had a second child.