China, Hong Kong: ‘Happy Ad’ for Student Abortions Ignites Debate

A hospital in mainland China has advertised a special installment payment package for university students, for getting abortions conveniently, in the event of accidental or unwanted pregnancies. The hospital's marketing poster has caught the attention of Hong Kong's netizens and has triggered a moral debate.

Hospital's happy ad

The hospital's poster, showing three girls jumping with joy because now they can pay by installment for abortion. Public Image.

The hospital's poster, showing three girls jumping with joy because now they can pay by installment for abortion. Public Image.

The advertisement copy states that:

大學期間,意外懷孕了
做人流也可 ”分期付款“了
此活動只限學生
本人只需憑身份證或學生證到沈陽市中山醫院做人流,即可辦理分期付款手續,首付30﹪起各型套餐任選,在保證學生的私密性的同時,方便快捷。

If you get pregnant by accident during your university year
Now there is installment payment package for abortion
This offer is limited to students only
You just need to bring your ID or student card, in person, to Shenyang Sun Yatsen hospital and then you can enjoy our installment payment facility for abortion. The first installment is as low as 30% and there are other packages of your choice. The process is very convenient and we will make sure your privacy is protected.

While abortion is a common practice in China, the poster has triggered a moral debate [zh] in Hong Kong:

@Aris Coffee: 若拋開宗教反對墮胎的話,我就看不出有何不妥?若可以分期付款,那對一些經濟不好但意外懷孕又沒成熟到可以養育子女的女學生也是一種幫助,難道要她們冒險去那些黑市無牌醫生去流產嗎?其實分期付款,跟買醫療保險每月供款及買電視冰箱分期付款沒有什麼大分別。

@Aris Coffee: If we put aside religious reasons against abortion, I don't see any problem in this advertisement. The installment payment is helpful to those university-going women who get pregnant by accident and who are not mature enough to become parents. They don't need to go to the unlicensed doctors for abortion. The installment payment arrangement is no different from buying medical insurance or electrical appliances by installment.

@俞火: 這不是宗教與是否合法的問題。在說的是生命,無論因為什麼原因,最後需要如何善後都是該嚴肅面對,而不是「開心到飛起」的事情。同一件事、同一個做法,但心態、道德就是決定你做事的態度,在同一件事上下來將再怎樣學習和面對,會否重蹈覆轍!
不要這些孩子去黑市墮胎,不就等如要興高采烈的如此 promote 「開心到飛起」的墮胎, 把這必要時的服務當成派對商品的!

@俞火: I don't think this is a legal or religious issue. We are talking about life here. No matter what the circumstances, it is a serious issue, rather than being a joyful decision for jumping up and down. The choice may be the same, but the attitude makes a difference. Whether you would learn from the incident and avoid making the same mistake again depends on the attitude.We don't want these kids to go to unlicensed doctors for abortion, but it doesn't mean that they have to so happily promote abortion as “joyful and exciting”, as if it is for some merchandise for a party!

@Carmen Tong: 我是不反對墮胎的, 正如你說的情況, 女性是能該擁有the control of their own body. 反感的是此廣告promote的價值觀: 處理掉一個生命很害易, 冇錢都唔緊要. 不安全性行為也冇所謂, 一旦出事有我們提供方便!

這和叫你成身card數去借那些”card數一筆清”,然後繼續放縱消費的廣告就真係冇乜分別了~

@Carmen Tong: I am not against abortion and as you have mentioned, women should be able to take control of their own body. What I dislike is the value that this advertisement is promoting: that it is easy to get rid of a life. You don't need to have all the money ready, you don't need to have safe sex – when accident happens, we can take care of it.This is similar to those easy loan ads, encouraging you towards wasteful consumption even if you are in debt.

@Joyce Ho: 覺得呢張廣告無問題噶人,你地知唔知道,大陸系無性教育噶?就係因為到處充斥呢種漠視生命,美化人流噶廣告,有唔少女學生,從來都唔做防護措施,一年做幾次人流。我先唔講坯胎的生存權,無保護的性交,與無數次人流,對女性噶身體傷害有幾大,任何一個正常人都應該知道。但好可惜,系大陸,好多少女,包括大學生都唔知道。難道這些商業醫療機構和政府,沒有任何責任嗎?

@Joyce Ho: For those who think this advertisement has no problem, do you know that in China they don't have sex education? Such kind of advertisements which look down upon life and beautify abortion, has led to the extremely careless sexual acts among teenage girls. They don't perform safe sex and may undergo several abortion operations within a year. I don't want to entangle in the debate about the right to life of the embryo, but unprotected sexual intercourse and frequent abortions are very harmful to women's health. This is common sense. However, in mainland China, so many young girls, even university students, are ignorant about such facts. Shouldn't the medical companies and the government take responsibility for the situation?

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