A woman who was forced to have a late-term abortion last month, in a case that sparked a nationwide outcry, has reached a settlement with the local government responsible by accepting 70,600 yuan (HK$86,640) in cash compensation.
Bowing to government pressure to end the furore, Deng Jiyuan, the husband of Feng Jianmei, signed a deal with the Zengjiazhen township government in Shaanxi province on Tuesday.
'We don't have any option even if I don't like it,' Deng said yesterday. 'We ordinary residents just want to live a stable life. It's hard to explain in a few words.'
Feng (pictured after the abortion) was discharged from hospital yesterday morning. She was abducted by township family planning officials on June 2, forced to have a lethal injection into the seven-month-old fetus she was carrying and induced into labour after the family failed to pay a 40,000 yuan fine for having more than one child. Deng was away at the time and the family could not afford to pay the fine.
Days later, Deng returned to town and drummed up extensive media coverage of the tragedy, presenting pictures of the dead foetus lying next to his exhausted wife on a hospital bed and generating overwhelming public sympathy and outrage.
The family was then harassed by officials for exposing the scandal, especially to overseas media. Deng was beaten up and the family branded traitors. People threatened to kick them out of the town before Deng fled to Beijing to seek legal advice at the end of last month.
Two officials have been fired and five others punished over the matter.