PubMed1981
The relevant document recently issued by the Ministry of Justice pointed out that to protect women's lives and health and to facilitate birth control, severe punishments should be meted out in accordance with the relevant provisions of the criminal law to those who are guilty of the wicked practice of removing women's intrauterine contraceptive devices to defraud money and belongings, bringing about serious consequences as a result. Recently, the Ministry of Justice received a letter from the birth control office in Fuling Prefecture, Sichuan Province, reporting repeated instances in the prefecture of some people sabotaging the birth control plan by illegally removing women's intrauterine contraceptive devices to defraud the women of their money and belongings, and some women had even died as a result. The letter appealed to the judicial organs to ban these activities. In its document in answer to the letter, the Ministry of Justice pointed out, that out of greed for pecuniary and material gains, some people illicitly made iron wire hooks to remove women's intrauterine contraceptive devices, and serious consequences and even deaths have occurred. These activites have not only seriously sabotaged the birth control plan, but also constituted criminal offenses of fraud, unpremeditated injury, and manslaughter in violation of the criminal law. It called on the judicial departments throughout the country to punish the offenders according to the laws. The document also pointed out that some comrades called the illegal activities of illicitly removing women's intrauterine contraceptive devices "inappropriate removal of intrauterine rings," or said that "there are no concrete provisions about it in the laws," the result being that criminals have been allowed to go scot-free. To protect women's lives and health and to facilitate birth control, the judicial organs at all levels should coordinate with the departments concerned to ban such illegal activities and to carry out large-scale education among the masses. Severe judicial punishments should be meted out in accordance with the relevant provisions of the criminal law to those guilty of the illegal and wicked practice of removing women's intrauterine contraceptive devices to defraud money and belongings, bringing about serious consequences as a result.