Monday, March 18, 2013

Cao Ruyi, Whose Near-Forced Abortion Case Grabbed World Headlines, Shows Off Infant Son, Thanks Congressman Smith in Just-Released Video


China Aid Association
(Changsha, Hunan–March 17, 2013) One of the pregnant Chinese women who made international headlines last summer when family planning officials tried to forcibly abort her at five months has given birth to a boy and written a thank-you letter to U.S. Congressman Chris Smith for his personal intervention that helped assure her safety.
In a short video edited and produced by Women's Rights in China and translated by ChinaAid, Cao is shown being visited by a representative of Women's Rights in China and showing off her infant son, who was born on Oct. 15, 2012. See the video here: 

     

 Cao was five months pregnant on June 6 when family planning officials and other government officials in Changsha dragged her to a hospital, beat her, and were ready to force her to have an abortion.  However, because of a number of problems, including no available bed space at the hospital, Cao was transferred to a nearby hotel and placed under house arrest pending an abortion. 

Due to the timely intervention of ChinaAid founder and president Bob Fu, who personally contacted the local officials and helped draw international attention to the case, and of Congressman Smith (R-N.J.), who wrote directly to the local government condemning their actions, the planned abortion never took place.
Cao and her husband have named their son, their only child, Dahai, which means "help from overseas." She is shown in the video holding their son as her husband signs a letter of thanks to Smith for his vital role in their case.  The letter was delivered to Smith in Washington, D.C. earlier this month by a volunteer for Women's Rights in China.
However, as the video reports, the family still faces looming problems, including a US$15,000 fine for the unauthorized birth and the fact that their son's birth cannot be registered. In China's authoritarian system, this means his existence is not recognized by the government and he cannot get a government-issued identification card, which is required for all basic activities of a citizen, including attending school, opening a bank account and even getting medical care.

via chinaaid.org
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