Posted on 02/05/2013 2:54:57 PM PST by grundle
A photo showing a foetus whose mother was forced to have an abortion has shocked China web users. Feng Jiamei, from Shaanxi province, was made to undergo the procedure in the seventh month of pregnancy, local officials said after investigating. Ms Feng was forced into the abortion as she could not pay the fine for having a second child, US-based activists said.
Because she already had a child, said Feng, local birth-control authorities ordered her to pay a fine of £4,000. She didn't have the money, she said, so a team from the local family planning authority in Shannxi province came to collect her from her home and take her to hospital for the forced abortion. Recounting the horror, Feng said she told the family planning department she could not pay the fine because her mother-in-law needed money for cancer treatment. It was then, she claimed, the authorities began their action against her. She said no less than 20 staff from the family planning department came to her home and placed her under arrest. As they drove her to the hospital for a forced abortion, she began to resist - resulting in her being beaten.
Rights groups say China's one-child policy has meant women being coerced into abortions, which Beijing denies. "Feng Jianmei's story demonstrates how the One-Child Policy continues to sanction violence against women every day," said Chai Ling of the US-based activist group All Girls Allowed. The group says it spoke to Ms Feng and her husband Deng Jiyuan after the incident. Mr Deng said his wife had been forcibly taken to hospital and restrained before the procedure.
Correspondent Jon Sudworth in Shanghai says such allegations are nothing new in China, but what has made this one different is a widely circulated photo of the woman lying next to the baby's corpse. Media reports from China says Ms Feng has been traumatized by what has happened. Chinese law clearly prohibits abortions beyond six months.
Unnamed local officials in Zhenping county - where the incident took place - denied forcing Ms Feng to have the abortion, local media reports say. But a preliminary investigation by the Shaanxi Provincial Population and Family Planning Commission confirmed the forced abortion had taken place. Without naming Ms Feng, it said in a statement that the woman had been seven months pregnant. "Such practice has seriously violated the relevant policies set by national and provincial family planning commissions, which harmed the image of our family planning work, and caused extremely poor effects in society," said the statement. "Based on the findings, we have requested the local government to punish the relevant officers according to law," it said.
The photo circulated around the world via the internet has sparked outrage among world citizens and there is ample evidence of this on the internet today. Activist Chen Guangcheng, who was put under virtual house arrest for campaigning against forced abortions, fled China to the US last month. I don't blame him for going somewhere he can speak his mind freely without persecution. I hope he does not give up his cause.
It ain't right. Ain't right at all.
You are a complete idiot.
Their party’s platform is the only honest thing about libertarians, it is where the rubber meets the road, and it all reflects true libertarianism.
Abortion is fundamental to libertarianism, as is homsexualizing the military and gay marriage, porn, and so on, it is why abortion remains in the platform, and why libertarian influence in the GOP is leading to a pro-abortion position, such as we saw in 2012.
You lefties just aren’t very bright are you, but man are you emotional.
Well, at least you are consistent: with each post, you double down on your stupidity.
You really think that classical libertarians are “Left?” Why don’t you read some Locke, Hobbes, and Paine before posting any further. You make yourself look like an uneducated moron.
By the way, watch your capitalization: libertarian != Libertarian.
How much is Hussein's Commiecare™ fine, again?
This story will make ubama jealous...
The officers will be punished, huh? That’ll for sure bring back that baby or help that grieving mother.
Wish there had been a chance to kill those officers before they killed the baby.
Libertarianism is essentially the sole belief in liberty alone. It dictates that society can function as long as there is full liberty, regardless of any other factor. Libertarianism worked in the days of the Founders, because people were generally more moral (excluding the obvious issue of slavery). The Founders would have been horrified by the idea of murdering a child, or two men getting married. There was no need to legislate against such things because nobody who wasn’t crazy engaged in those acts. It was just unacceptable. The government didn’t need to protect the institution of marriage, because it was safely guarded (for the most part) by human decency. Society has changed (thanks in part to mass media), and conservatism is really a reactionary movement, aimed at restoring not only liberty (which is essential to society), but also morality (which is the other half of the equation.)
This is why I am a conservative. Society is at its best when man has both the freedom to do what is desired, but the morality to do what is right. It’s a check and balance of the human soul, if you will. Liberals complain that we want cameras in bedrooms and such. I don’t want cameras in bedroom, but I do want prayer in school. Maybe then the youth of this country would be a little less degenerate, but no, Heaven forbid you bring religion into education!
And for the record, this picture is horrific. It is like some scene from a nightmare. How any sane country could be part of an organization with China on the Human Rights Council is beyond me. Sickening.
This libertarian agrees with you.
Lefty is, as lefty does.
Here is the leftists agenda hidden behind the Libertarian Party curtain.
Libertarian Party Platform:
Throw open the borders completely; only a rare individual (terrorist, disease carrier etc.) can be kept from freedom of movement through “political boundaries”.
Homosexuals; total freedom in the military, gay marriage, adoption, child custody and everything else.
Abortion; zero restrictions or impediments.
Pornography; no restraint, no restrictions.
Drugs; Meth, Heroin, Crack, and anything new that science can come up with, zero restrictions.
Advertising those drugs, prostitution, and pornography; zero restrictions.
Military Strength; minimal capabilities.
well libtards, there’s no story here, haven’t you been screeching to us for 50 years abortion doesn’t murder a person?
Good post.
Again, you have confused “libertarian (classical)” with “Libertarian (Party).” Not sure what else to tell you, other than to try cracking a book sometime. This country was founded on libertarian principles.
Libertarians define themselves by fighting conservatism and supporting the left in homosexualizing the military, gay marriage, abortion, porn, drugs, open borders, the homosexual agenda, anti-conservatism.
Liberaltarians can play word games all day long, from Noam Chomsky to Ron Paul and Bill Maher, libertarians all.
“... the left is going to claim the photo was staged, and with good reason”.
I don’t know, Mr. K. China does some despicable things with respect to abortion and they have been known to illustrate what they did to make a point. A few years back, I read a human rights report about the Chinese government going into a small village and drowning all second born babies. They did it in front of all the townspeople.. to make a point. Ignore the law and we will kill the baby. Submit to our rules. Unfortunately, it is not beyond the spectrum of reason that the government is using this incident to once again show what they can do if someone goes against the law. Just a thought...
Perfectly put, but I’m afraid that it will be lost on ansel12, like explaining calculus to a goat.
Your indifference to rigor is intolerable.
I tried.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.