News
Chinese Officials Agree Compensation for Woman Forced to Have Abortion
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July 11, 2012 The Fresh Outlook  |
Chinese government officials agree to a payout of 70,600 yuan (£7,160) for woman who was forced to have an abortion.
Feng Jianmei was forced to undergo a late-term abortion because her family could not afford to pay the 40,000 yuan fine for breaking her country’s strict birth control policies about having a second child.
The case caused outrage after a photograph of Feng Jianmei lying next to her seven-month-old foetus was published online.
Her husband, Deng Jiyuan, who had previously planned legal action, claimed that during the incident, which took place in Ankang in the Shaanxi province, his wife had been hooded, forced into a car and injected to induce the abortion.
Forced abortions are illegal in China but, after speaking to foreign media about this case, the family were followed, harassed and denounced as traitors. Authorities in Ankang later told of how they had fired two officials over the case and given five other formal warnings.
Zhang Kai, a lawyer who has been giving advice to the family, explained how the government had referred to the payment as an ‘allowance’ when it should have been compensation. He said: “70,000 for a person’s life? It is too little.”
The case has led to further debate about China’s one-child policy, with government researchers encouraging authorities to ease the restrictions.
By Ellie Stansfield
[Image courtesy of Matt Spurr]
