1990s Case of Baby Taken From Parents Sparks Outrage

A leaked health bureau document in South China revealed how local authorities had taken a couple’s child 22 years ago because they had violated the one-child policy. The document, dated July 1 from Quanzhou County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, was a response to the couple’s petition to investigate their child’s whereabouts after accusing three officials of taking their seventh child in the 1990s. The health bureau said the officials had carried out a “social adjustment” under the one-child policy and claimed there were no records of where the children were sent. In response to public outcry, authorities suspended two health bureau officials for improper handling of the petition. An investigation is underway.