China suspends officials in forced abortion case

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By GILLIAN WONG

BEIJING (AP) - China suspended three officials and apologized to a woman who was forced to undergo an abortion seven months into her pregnancy in a case that sparked an uproar after graphic photos of the mother and her dead baby were circulated online.

The moves appeared to be aimed at allaying public anger over a case that has triggered renewed criticism of China's widely hated one-child limit. Designed to control the country's exploding population, the policy has led to often violently imposed forced abortions and sterilizations as local authorities pursue birth quotas set by Beijing.

Feng Jianmei, 23, was beaten by officials and forced to abort the baby at seven months on June 2 because her family could not afford a 40,000 yuan ($6,300) fine for having a second child, Chinese media reported this week.

Photos of Feng lying on a hospital bed with the blood-covered baby, reportedly stillborn after a chemical injection killed it, were posted online and went viral, prompting a public outpouring of sympathy and outrage.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20120615/D9VDD48O0.html

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In this photo taken Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, newborn babies wait to be bathed at a hospital in Zouping county in east China's Shandong province. On Friday, June 15, 2012, China suspended three officials and apologized to a woman who was forced to undergo an abortion seven months into her pregnancy in a case that sparked a public uproar after graphic photos of the mother and her dead baby were circulated online. (AP Photo) CHINA OUT

[Suji to Seoul]

1. I've seen the vans that are used to enforce the one-child policy in Shijiazhuang

They look like white van ambulances and, in Chinese, they say "Patriotic Childbirth Agency" complete with sirens and police lights.

If they do a forced sterilization, it's usually the woman who gets it, never the man.

[ehrnst]

2. Cue the forced childbearing segment of the US to circulate those photos

To foment outrage over safe, legal, early, CHOICE here in the US in 3...2...1....

[Mayflower1]

3. AWwww, what adorable little babies.

Bet they are all baby boys because they kill baby girls.

[ehrnst]

5. No, not always - many are given up for adoption.

And yes, many do keep girls, as is evidenced by the existence of females in China....

[Franker65]

4. bad

Terrible situation over there.