Shandong Husband Under 22 Years old, Forced Abortion at Sixth Month of Pregnancy

 

Summary:  Because Mr. Zhao was under the minimum marriage age of 22 in April when his wife, Ms. Xie, became pregnant, the local Birth Control Bureau demanded a ¥1,500 fine. When he disputed it, the fine was raised to ¥5,000. His mother-in-law was detained by the Bureau on Sept. 3. When on the next day his wife looked for her mother, the local office performed forced abortion against her will.

 

According to a September 5th, 2010 report in Luzhong Chenbao (Central Shandong Morning News), an expecting mother’s baby was lost after an injection. The mother’s body, which protected the life for six months, ultimately proved helpless. This morning, the Birth Control officials of Zhutai, Linzi Borough, in Zibo City, Shandong Province performed an abortion on Ms. Xie.

 

Her husband, Mr. Zhao reports that on August 25th, he applied for a Birth Permit at the town Birth Control Office, for the expected birth at the end of the year. Because he reached the minimum marriage age of 22 years of age only in July, the office charged him with a ¥1,500 fine. When he disputed and asked for evidence, the fine was raised to ¥5,000. Reportedly, four different answers were given by officials including Wang Wei, director of the Zhutai Town Birth Control Office, Mr. Jiao, town official in charge of population control and various officials of the Linzi Birth Control Office.

 

At around 9:00 of September 4th, Mr. Zhao telephoned a Luzhong Chenbao reporter because his wife was taken to the town population control office for abortion. “Come quickly, or it’ll be too late!”

 

Mr. Zhao reports that on the afternoon of Sept. 2nd, the Birth Control Office interrogated his father-in-law, lasting until 22:00 that day. The next afternoon, seven to eight officers from the town Birth Control Office arrested his mother-in-law. On the morning of Sept. 4th, Ms. Xie looked for her mother at the office and was suddenly seized.

 

Mr. Zhao and the reporter only found Ms. Xie around 11:00 that morning in a ground floor ward room of the Linzi Borough Birth Control Service Center, a lonely three story building. Her mother and mother-in-law were already at her bedside. She lay weeping in her bed, her hands on her stomach, fitfully crying out “My baby, mom will never get to see you.”

 

A Zibo City Birth Control Committee officer confides that in similar situations in which the pregnancy was only “illegal” by two to three months, the payment of certain amount of fine always sufficed.