Baby Moses, the Great Wall, and Swinging
We had a meeting with one of the lawyers who works in the Child Center and spoke about two cases that she has worked on and some of the differences between here and the USA. There was a case of a 4-day-old infant who was very premature but otherwise healthy. The mother, suffering from postpartum depression and worried about financially supporting the child who may have disabilities due to the baby’s low birth rate (less than 3 lbs), wished to take the child off all medical devices and medicines.
In the USA, we have “baby Moses” or “safe haven” laws, ubiquitous in all states for over twenty years. However, in China, no parent may relinquish guardianship without facing abandonment charges (intentional homicide charges if the baby died). China did implement safe haven laws here, but quickly shut them down after being overloaded with babies who were primarily suffering from intellectual and physical disabilities.
There is a different mindset as to why a parent would abandon a child in the two countries. In the USA, we try to keep anonymity and don’t ask questions, allowing mothers who feel utterly stuck and unable to care for a child properly to give up that child within 72 hours, 30 days, or 45 days of their births, depending on the state. Here, the lawyer explained that one of the reasons the safe haven centers were shut down was because healthy children were being left behind. China cannot allow, or even worse—encourage—parents to relinquish guardianship unless under the most dire circumstances. This is shown through their current laws for relinquishing guardianship: if you petition the government with medical proof the child is severely disabled and also prove it is impossible for the parents to take care of the child due to disability or financial issues, the government will take custody of the child until they are adopted. Sarah and I spoke to each other later about how unlikely it seems such a family would succeed in petitioning such a claim, and how even less likely it would be that the child be adopted, since most adoptive parents wish for children who are not disabled.
In the case of the premature baby mentioned above, the parents were given psychological counseling, told of the legal ramifications of trying to remove their baby from life-saving support, and were reported for suspicious infringement of the rights of the child.
As to non-work activities: a few days ago, I became ill enough to experience another country’s healthcare system. I was very impressed by the international clinic I went to: it was clean, efficient, and everyone was friendly and spoke English. Within an hour, I trudged in, praying they spoke English, and strutted out with a diagnosis and medicine.
Sarah and I went to the Great Wall, to the Mutianyu section in the Northeast. What an incredible 700-year-old structure to climb, and what an incredible sight to look out upon! I loved seeing the green forests and the steep mountains with rock showing around the trees that are so distinguishable in paintings of China and Japan. We even spotted and chatted with a British tourist we had met the week before at a night market, which was very fun!
I had my best night in Beijing when I attended a large swing dance event, Jazz Do It, with an incredible Japanese jazz band, Clap Stomp Swingin’. After dancing until 2 in the morning, about 40 of us survivors went and ate hao pao (hot pot) afterward. I was explained how to participate in traditional hot pot cuisine, and my tablemates watched for my reaction whenever I ate something extraordinary (like sheep’s brain, which was actually quite delicious).
One more week left!
