How were forced sterilizations used to enforce China’s one-child policy?

The one-child policy, implemented by the Chinese government from 1980 to 2016 to curb rapid population growth, was enforced through a range of measures that included both incentives and coercive practices.12

Forced sterilization was one of the strict enforcement methods used by the government to ensure compliance with the policy. Millions of Chinese citizens were subjected to these procedures, along with forced abortions, as part of a radical state intervention into the reproductive lives of its people. These actions are widely regarded as a violation of fundamental human rights and bodily autonomy, as they stripped individuals of the freedom to make their own reproductive choices.12

While the government also utilized milder methods, such as the provision of contraceptives, the reliance on forced medical procedures remains a central point of the controversy surrounding the program's legacy.2