"Although China has passed its first population and family planning law, it's too early to ease off, because there are still barriers to the law's enforcement," said Zhang Weiqing, Minister in charge of the State Family Planning Commission.

"The final purpose of our efforts is to help Chinese people gain a better understanding of the law, encourage them to use legal means to defend their rights and fulfill their duties according to law," he said.

China's family planning drive has gone beyond its previous single objective of slashing population growth and has become multi-functional in the past 30 years, according to Zhang.

The Population and Family Planning Law passed by the 25th session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Dec 29, 2001 stipulates that women's social status should be improved and they should have more access to education.

Baby girls should not be discriminated against, maltreated or abandoned, it says. And poverty-stricken households who have followed the family planning policy should have privileges if applying for loans and social relief.

The law also legalizes every citizen's right to enjoy medical and technical services for both family planning and improving their reproductive health.

"Implementing this law has a direct bearing on the country's sustainable development, and also poses a challenge to all judicial and administrative departments," said Hu Zejun, Vice-Minister of Justice.

The most difficult aspect of the work remained at the grass-roots, Hu said. Therefore, billboards in villages and urban communities were being used to inform people about the law.

There is even a brochure published by the China Population Publishing House which uses cartoons to warn people not to break the law. Breaches frequently made in the past include identifying an embryo's gender, conducting birth control operations privately and selling family planning certificates.

"Considering the huge regional disparity in China, the state law can only provide a basic guideline for the country's family planning policy and define the basic rights and duties of citizens," Zhang said. "Thus, detailed provisions must be made by provincial, municipal and autonomous regional people's congresses or their standing committees according to local situations."

In northeast China's Jilin Province, the concept that only sons can provide for parents in their old age is deeply rooted and has created an invisible impediment to the birth control policy.

To solve the problem, the local government amended its previous regulation on population control to allow couples of child-bearing age who live with their maternal parents to have a second child.

However, in Luliang Prefecture of north China's Shanxi Province, a water shortage compounded the bias problem.

After having survived six consecutive years of drought, most local people preferred a son to a daughter, simply because the former is physically stronger and able to carry greater quantities of water.

Since then wells, rainwater collection ponds and water supply facilities have been established, and some 2.51 million people have said goodbye to the lingering water shortage, and are widely applauding the birth control policy.

Farmer Li Fuxia from Dajiaoting Village in Beijing said: "In my village, staff with the family planning departments not only disperse contraceptive knowledge to newly-weds and those expecting a baby, but also provide medical and psychological help to children in puberty, women in menopause and men."

Peng Peiyun, vice-chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said: "To set the implementation date eight months later than its enactment ensures there is enough time to prepare and to have every Chinese knowing the law and observing it."

(Xinhua News Agency August 3, 2002)