The Brutality of Forced Abortion and Gendercide in China, India

Two stories surfaced in the eastern part of the world so brutal that they are incomprehensible. The first involves a Chinese woman who was subjected to a forced abortion at seven months of pregnancy. According to LifeNews.com, “Feng Jianmei was beaten and dragged into a vehicle by a group of family planning officials while her husband, Deng Jiyuan, was out working.” The family was asked to pay a fine by officials for having this child and when no money was paid, “…..they forcibly aborted Feng at seven months, laying the body of her aborted baby next to her in the bed.”

Angry protests are occurring in China following this horrendous action, according to ChinaAid, a U.S.-based human rights group. The mother has an attorney to represent her and to focus attention on the violence used to enforce the government’s one-child-per-family policy. The New York Post reports that Chinese officials will “probe” the incident.

The second incident occurred in India where a father killed his three-month-old baby girl because his wife did not give birth to a son. According to CNN, “Authorities say the baby was admitted to the hospital with bite marks, cigarette burns and a dislocated neck. Police say she was killed by her father. ‘After my delivery my husband had come to see me and the baby. He said ‘It is a girl, why did you give birth to a girl?’ nineteen-year-old Reshma Banu said. ‘For her wedding we will require a hundred thousand rupees (about US $1,800 dollars) for all the expense. If you can get that amount from your mother, then keep her, but if you can’t then kill her.’ Banu recalled her husband as saying. She didn’t believe he meant it and was sure he would change his mind once he held his soft bright-eyed baby girl. Three months later, her baby is dead, and her husband is under arrest, accused of beating the baby to death. Police say he confessed to the killing.”

So brutal. So sad. So lacking in morality and humanity.

Barbara Lyons