Chinese authorities suspended three local officials, including those in charge of family planning, who allegedly forced 22-year old Feng Jianmei to undergo an abortion seven months into her pregnancy and claimed the operation was voluntary, CNN reports.
China apologized to Feng after photos of the gruesome abortion circulated the internet, stirring public outrage that flooded microblog site, Sina Weibo, despite strengthened internet censorship.
Deng Jiyuan, Feng’s husband, failed to secure a birth permit for their 2nd child because he couldn’t afford the expensive “fine” of 40,000 yuan ($6,300). Deng opened his own Weibo account to post his lamentations.
Abortion is used to curb China’s ballooning population and was introduced in the late 1970s under the “one child” policy. Since then the number of “family planning abortions” has reached millions.
Blind activist Chen Guangcheng was known for actively protesting against forced abortions and recently brought to light the issue after his dramatic escape from house arrest that damaged diplomatic relations between the US and China. The US condones the human rights situation in China.
