Chinese authorities have suspended three local officials for a controversial forced abortion involving a late-term pregnancy.
The city government of Ankang in north-west China's Shanxi province on Thursday admitted that the three officials abused their duties while enforcing the country's family planning policy. It apologized to the 27-year-old woman identified as Feng Jianmei and her family members, China's Xinhua news agency reported.
Feng was forced to terminate her seven-month pregnancy in a hospital in Zhenping on June 2 as she was unable to pay a fine of $6,300 in return for having a second child.
Details of the case, including several photos showing the remains of the fetus lying next to the mother on her hospital bed, were posted on the Internet which have since shocked and angered several people in China. The local government faced a storm of criticism following the incident.
China's one-child policy has some exceptions, but couples can face fines for every child after their first one. If they are unable to pay, local officials can order abortions with the couples' consent. But abortion is banned after six months of pregnancy.
Forced abortions are said to be rampant in China's rural areas. Blind activist Chen Guangcheng had been under house-arrest for years for exposing forced abortions and he ultimately left for the United States last month on the intervention of U.S. authorities.
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