The Chinese political icon Mao Zedong once said “women hold up half the sky”. China is now faced with a serious threat of the sky crashing down. According to the 2010 Chinese census, the sex ratio at birth has climbed during the past three decades to an alarming 118 boys born for every 100 girls, the highest sex imbalance in the world. Without human intervention, the sex ratio at birth is projected to be between 103 and 107 boys born for every 100 girls. In China, only Tibet and Xinjiang have a balanced sex ratio for people younger than 20 years. A distorted sex ratio will result in many social problems. For instance, by 2020 an estimated 30 million Chinese men will be unable to find brides. The beginning of this disturbing trend coincided with the introduction of the one-child policy in the early 1980s, and ultrasound technology, which made reliable sex-selective abortion possible. To tackle the issue, the Chinese Government this month launched an 8-month national campaign against the non-medical use of prenatal sex determination and sex-selective abortion. Any health professional or medical institution involved in these practices will be liable to punishment including revoking of medical licences, banning of illegal clinics, and even criminal charges. However, this campaign is not the first to address prenatal sex determination and sex-selective abortion in China. Similar national movements happened in 1986, 1989, 1993, 2002, and 2006. So why have illegal practices continued despite repeated prohibition? One reason is that the business of testing and sex-selective abortion is very lucrative. China Central Television reported that blood and ultrasound tests for prenatal sex determination cost about RMB 5500 (US$873), and RMB 3500 ($556), respectively. Additional underlying factors are a deeply rooted cultural preference for sons, a falling fertility rate, and the one-child policy. With the strengthening of public policy to crack down on sex-selective abortion, China should also implement more effective measures to promote gender equity and empower women in the long term. 这是个问题。