Launching a population policy white paper, Zhang Weiqing conceded that the ratio of 111.3 newborn boys to 100 newborn girls was a result of sex selective abortion and the abandonment of newly born female children. The survey of Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives found that there were only 94 women for every 100 men, compared with a worldwide average of 106 women to every 100 men. Statistics released by Taiwan's Bureau of National Health Insurance have indicated that there were 42,282 abortions in the country last year. However, the secretary-general of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Association said that the total for the year could be as high as 100,000 when totals from private clinics were included. It was also reported that the average age of women seeking abortions in Taiwan has fallen.
Abortion is now the fifth most common surgical procedure in Taiwan.
The president of Argentina has committed himself to the defense of life from the moment of conception to natural death. We reiterate our denial of cloning, genetic manipulation, euthanasia, and capital punishment. Canadian music star Celine Dion has said that she credit's her family's priest for convincing her mother not to abort her. Dion said her mother was initially devastated when she learned she was pregnant with Celine, the 14th child in the family, and she asked the priest if she could have an abortion. Celine Dion and her husband are celebrating the birth of their first child, a son, who was the result of in vitro fertilization treatment.