Women in China community chat group required to share menstrual dates, raises privacy concerns
Anger after village doctor asks for period dates, phone numbers; online critics slam move, ask if next step is ‘forced fertilisation’
A concerned mother in China has revealed that her local authorities are requiring all post-partum women to report when they had their last menstrual period.
The request has sparked a backlash over privacy concerns and abuse of power.
On December 2, an unidentified new mother in Xuanwei, Yunnan province, southwestern China, raised concerns on social media after revealing that local authorities were requiring all new mothers to report the dates of their “last menstrual period”.
According to a widely circulated screenshot, a message in a group chat named “Children’s Health Learning Group” said.
“Mothers of all children, please report your last menstrual period in the group in the format: name plus last menstrual period date and phone number.”
The message also requested that if the mother was out of town, she should include her current location.
It is unclear how many mothers were included in the group.
The mother voiced her frustration online: “Last month, I thought it was just a one-time report. But yesterday, it started again. Looks like we have to report every month.”