HANOI, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam has decided to impose fines of up to 629 U.S. dollars on those engaging in activities relating to selection of the sex of a fetus, local media reported Wednesday.
Under a recent government decree, those who force pregnant women to undergo abortion for gender reasons, or conduct abortion after knowing that the women want to abort their fetuses for the reasons are subject to fines of 7-10 million Vietnamese dong (VND)(44-629 dollars), the Youth newspaper said.
Those storing documents and media about sex-selective methods, or supplying expectant mothers with chemicals, medicines or methods for abortion after knowing that they want to abort their fetuses for gender reasons will be fined to the tune of 3-7 million VND (189-440 dollars).
Those helping define the sex of a fetus for profit, either by traditional or modern methods, are subject to fines of 0.5-1 million VND (31.4-62.8 dollars), and unauthorized production, trade and import of contraceptive tools will be fined up to 30 million VND (nearly 1,887 dollars).
Vietnam now has a population of over 83.1 million, 50.8 percent of whom are women, according to the country's General Statistics Office. The urban population is more than 22.2 million, accounting for 26.8 percent of the total. Enditem
