Doctor gets death with reprieve for selling babies

Download

Zhang Shuxia, an obstetrician in Shaanxi province, was sentenced to death with a two-year suspension of the execution on Tuesday for selling seven babies to human traffickers.

Zhang, a doctor with Fuping County Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, was found guilty of selling the seven babies, one of whom later died, after persuading parents to give up their newborns, according to the Weinan Intermediate People's Court.

She told the parents that their babies were sick with untreatable diseases.

The court said though Zhang was found not guilty of causing a baby's death after the infant was sold, she was still responsible for leaving the baby unattended.

The baby died after a human trafficker surnamed Pan abandoned the infant in a garbage ditch, according to the court.

Zhang was also deprived of her political rights for life. All of her property has been confiscated.

Zhang confessed to her crimes during interrogations, but was given the death sentence because she had violated both her professional and social ethics. Her actions had an "extremely bad" impact on society, the court said.

Lai Guofeng, the father of one of the abducted babies, said on Tuesday that he was satisfied with the sentence and said, "I believe in the justice of the law."

Lai said he has also filed a lawsuit against Fuping County Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital.

Zhang's baby trafficking scandal was exposed in July, when a mother, surnamed Dong, came to suspect that her newborn had been abducted and went to police.

Zhang had persuaded Dong and her husband, Lai Guofeng, to give up their baby boy after falsely claiming he had a congenital disease, according to Weinan Intermediate People's Court. The baby was found in good health in neighboring Henan province on Aug 5. Nine suspects, including Zhang, were detained by police in August.

Less than a month after the scandal broke, police received reports of 55 similar infant trafficking cases, including 26 in which Zhang was allegedly involved. Police investigations found evidence connected to Zhang in six of those 26 cases.

Questions:

1. Zhang Shuxia was found guilty of what crime?

2. Why was she given the death sentence?

3. When was the scandal exposed?

Answers:

1. Selling seven babies to human traffickers.

2. Because she had violated both her professional and social ethics.

3. In July.

About the broadcaster:

Anne Ruisi is an editor at China Daily online with more than 30 years of experience as a newspaper editor and reporter. She has worked at newspapers in the U.S., including The Birmingham News in Alabama and City Newspaper of Rochester, N.Y.