A well-respected Chinese doctor on the cusp of retiring from her obstetrician position admitted in Weinan Intermediate People’s Court that she stole newborn babies under her care and sold them on the black market to human traffickers.
Zhang Shuxia made the startling admission in court on Monday in the northern Shaanxi province, The Associated Press reported.
She said she would tell parents their newborns suffered from congenital problems and that they should “sign and give the babies up,” court documents reported by the AP said.
Her admission shed light on a baby trafficking ring that police had been investigating for some time, focusing on operations at the Fuping County Maternal and Child Hospital. Ms. Zhang’s role was uncovered when a mother grew suspicious about her baby’s disappearance and thought the doctor had helped with an abduction.
The mother then alerted the police, who found that the doctor had taken the newborn home and sold him for $3,600, AP reported. That man then resold the baby boy for $9,900.
Baby and child trafficking has been a huge problem in China, fueled in part by the one-child policy and the desire for male heirs.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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