Saturday, June 16, 2012

China Suspends 3 Officials Over Forced Abortion; Feng Jianmei Beaten, Forced to Abort at 7 Months

The Washington Times website reports today (June 16, 2012) that China has 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 world uproar after graphic photos of the mother and her dead baby were circulated online.

The moves appeared to be aimed at calming public anger over a case that has triggered renewed criticism of China's widely hated one-child limit.

Designed to control China's exploding population -- now estimated to be 1.37 billion people -- the policy has led to often violently imposed forced abortions and sterilizations as local authorities try to meet 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 $6,300 fine for having a second child. Photos of Feng lying on a hospital bed with the blood-covered baby -- stillborn after a chemical injection killed it -- were posted online and went viral, prompting a public outpouring of sympathy and outrage.

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