A Chinese woman has been forced to abort baby, her husband claims [PA]

Construction worker Luo Yanquan said his wife was taken kicking and screaming from their home by more than a dozen people on October 10 and detained in a clinic for three days by family planning officials.

Then she was taken to a hospital and injected with a drug that killed her baby.

Family planning officials told the couple they weren't allowed to have the child because they already have a nine-year-old daughter, Luo said.

For the last 30 years, China has limited most urban couples to just one child in a bid to curb population growth.

China has the world's largest population, with more than 1.3 billion people.

Couples that flout the rules face hefty fines, seizure of their property and loss of their jobs.

The case is an extreme example of measures Chinese officials sometimes use to comply with the strict family planning regulations. Though illegal, police and judicial authorities often look the other way when forced abortion cases are reported and the heavily censored state media shy away from such news.

But in recent years, victims have begun to speak out about their ordeals with the help of the internet and text messaging.

Aiding them are social campaigners and lawyers who have documented cases of forced late-term abortions.