Posted on 08/26/2004 11:05:45 PM PDT by Quick1
Chinese prison officials have forced a pregnant inmate found guilty of transporting heroin to undergo an abortion so that she could be eligible for the death penalty, according to a report published on Wednesday, AFP/Yahoo! News reports.
Ma Weihua in January was arrested in Gansu province for transporting 56 ounces of heroin from Xinjiang province. Under China's criminal code, individuals convicted of trafficking that amount of heroin can be executed.
However, following Ma's arrest, prison doctors discovered during a routine physical exam that she was approximately seven weeks pregnant. Under Chinese law, pregnant women and people younger than age 18 cannot be executed.
Although Ma said she wanted to carry the pregnancy to term, officers from the anti-drug task force at the Chengguan police substation in February signed a consent form ordering an abortion "on her behalf," according to AFP/Yahoo! News.
The consent form stated that the substation director requested that Ma be forced to undergo the procedure because she was "uncooperative." The form also noted that Ma was given general anesthesia -- which put her to sleep -- instead of the local anesthetic usually used for early-term abortions, according to Ma's attorney Weng Weihua.
Weng last month in the Lanzhou Intermediate People's Court argued in favor of reducing Ma's sentence because of her pregnancy and because she has exhibited remorse, it was her first offense and her actions "did not constitute serious harm to society," AFP/Yahoo! News reports.
A verdict is expected in the next few days, according to AFP/Yahoo! News.
China also has announced that beginning Oct.1 the country will enforce new interrogation rules in order to "curb abuses by police," including the regulation that pregnant women cannot be interrogated for more than four hours and cannot be shut in detention rooms, according to AFP/Yahoo! News (AFP/Yahoo! News, 8/25).
Wow. Like it is the unborn child's fault??? The mental processes boggle my mind.
Why bother? They're just executing the baby for its mother's sins, anyway.
Sick. Since pro-lifers tend to be pro-death penalty, and pro-choicers tend to be anti-death penalty, this ought to be a story that pisses off just about everyone.
I'm not pro-capital punishment for drug trafficking. I think it ought to be confined to murder, treason, rape, kidnapping, and seduction of children.
Like the Chinese ever give a damn whose fault it is when they punish people?
You do have a point....
I realize not everyone believes the same way, I was generalizing a bit. :)
True...
Dear god, this is really sick. The whole situation is.
The whole thing is just pathetic. The drug trafficking, forced abortion, and most likely execution.
Unfortunately, the woman sounds like she was just a mule. Did they ever catch the real drug trafficker?
what kind of sick, twisted circular logic is this? kill the baby first so we don't get blamed for killing the baby when we execute the mother?
A sick evil event on both.
That is twisted.
What if she is found innocent or handed out a sentance short of execution? Will they give her baby back.(?)
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.