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According to an article running today on the Guardian News and Media web site (guardian.co.uk), a Chinese court has sentenced a 36-year-old mother, Li Yingfang, to death for hiring a man to strangle her 9-year-old son so that she could have a baby with her new husband. Because she had this son from her previous marriage, it would have been very costly for her to have another baby due to China's one-child law that was introduced about thirty years ago. Couples who break the law and have more than one baby have to pay a financial penalty.
To add more to this twisted story, Li Yingfang's new husband also has a child from a previous marriage -- a daughter. Before Li Yingfang sought to kill her son, she first tried to have her stepdaughter killed, but the young girl resisted and escaped. Thus she decided to have her son killed and hired a man who strangled the boy and left his body by the side of a road.
Here's a link to the article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/16/china-one-child-policy
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Add a Comment3 Comments
There is no doubt that we are very fortunate to live in a democracy. Our children are revered here no matter the sex of the child. It is amazing to think that someone could hire a hit man to take the life of your child due to a new marriage or a law that states that you cannot have more than one child without paying penalties.
I have traveled all over the world and seen things in different countries that I will never agree with especially exploitation of children in the sex industry. Yes, we have it in this country too but at least we do have laws that govern the safety of children.
This is a very sad story.
January 17, 2009 - 3:35pmThis Comment
When I upset with my kids, I want to strangle them myself! I wouldn't pay someone.
Obviously I'm kidding.
I have some friends in China and I have to agree with alysiak - there is no comparison to be made.
Value what we have here in the west no matter how many challenges we seem to face.
January 16, 2009 - 7:36pmThis Comment
This is partly a cultural, partly a governmental issue in China. China is not known for its humanitarianism! The one child rule was established to help control the population growth under Communist rule.
There had to be such desperation going through this woman's mind - and we don't even know what the new husband was thinking, since it was his daughter put at risk, too! Yes, males are valued more than females in China, and daughters are still sold.
China did lift the one child rule following the devastating Sichuan earthquake last year, to help families in that area rebuild.
Keep in mind that you and I are from the "free world," that life as we know it is vastly different from other parts of this world. $10K is a tremendous amount of money in China; their new wealth isn't shared by the majority of their population, and it's a corrupt government they're dealing with. Plus, their population is vast - 1.3Bil as of July, 2008, with some provinces more populated than some major countries.
Avoid comparing yourself to this troubled woman. There is simply no comparison to be made.
January 16, 2009 - 5:31pmThis Comment