China has had issue with child trafficking ever since it instituted its restrictive procreation policies. But, it is still uncommon for a case as deplorable as the Chinese doctor, who tricks parents into giving up their babies so she could sell them. Zhang Shuxia was sentenced to death for her unconscionable acts, but the sentence has been suspended for two years.
The devilish doctor would convince parents that their baby boys were terribly sick and deformed, and the only way the could receive the treatment they needed was if babies remained at the hospital indefinitely.
The children weren’t sick and, of course, they did not stay indefinitely. Zhang, who was part of a child smuggling ring, would sell the the children to middlemen for 21,600 yuan or about $3600.
The middlemen would then sell the children to wanting families for about three times the price paid to Zhang.
Almost all of the seven children sold by Zhang were recovered and returned to the rightful parents.
One of the children, who was left by his parents voluntarily, was discarded by Zhang in a ditch and later died.
Though it was acknowledged that her actions played a part in the baby's death, she wasn’t charged with his murder.
In an official statement on its website, the court explained its sentence and its suspension (via Business Insider):
"Though Zhang Shuxia confessed, her behavior violated both professional and social ethics, had an extremely bad social impact, and the circumstance of the crimes were grave."
State sponsored murder sounds distasteful, but it's hard to imagine a more appropriate case for it.
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