Joinly launched by the government of Yangpu District and the district's Maternity and Infant Health Institute, the project offers free induced abortion service to pregnant girls under 18.
The city's first government-funded abortion program to help pregnant girls under 18 has, however, only attracted two applicants since it opened nearly two months ago, today's Youth Daily reported. Privacy concerns prompt many pregnant girls to turn to unlicensed abortion clinics for help, as personal data is asked if they apply for the funded program. Many are wary of the promise to protect applicants' privacy. Instead, many applicants use the non-funded facility of the district's Maternity and Infant Health Institute. The Institute's abortion clinic sees about 400 pregnant girls under 18 annually; the youngest was only 13 years old.