Hundreds of thousands of women in the Muslim majority province of Xinjiang are thought to have been subjected to regular pregnancy checks, coercive birth control and abortion procedures by the Chinese authorities, an investigation by Associated Press (AP) has found.
State documents show that in 2014, just over 200,000 contraceptive coils (IUDs) were inserted in the region. By 2018, this number had increased by 60 per cent. However, IUD use declined elsewhere in China. In contrast, according to the state news outlet The Paper, in Han-majority districts of Xinjiang Han Chinese births are encouraged with milk powder and hospital birth subsidies.
