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Chinese doctors have performed 336 million abortions.

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Official statistics from China's health ministry indicate that the country's doctors have performed 336 million abortions since 1971 in support of the government's "one-child" policy.

In addition to the hundreds of millions of abortions, China has also sterilized 196 million men and women since 1971.

China's leaders have credited the one-child policy, which is often brutally enforced, with preventing overpopulation and spurring economic growth. Yet it is also leading to a serious demographic crunch as China ages, a dynamic which could imperil China's future growth.

The incoming government has pledged to "reform" its family planning policies, although it does not plan to eliminate the one-child policy.

(AP Photo)