Then the doctor injected the poison into its head, and the child died and was thrown in the trash. Some pregnant women try to avoid capture by going into hiding. But often, they return after the birth to find their homes burned to the ground and their other family members beaten or persecuted. In an extreme case last year, a man in Changsha, a Hunan province, died after being tortured for refusing to reveal the whereabouts of his pregnant wife. Children born this way are denied schooling, medical care, and other social benefits.
Many peasants believe only sons can carry on the family line.
They think it greatly dishonors their ancestors if they don t produce a male heir, says outreach worker Wu Hongli. Also, daughters usually live with their husband s family after marriage and are, therefore, considered a wasted investment. Although the one-child policy allows many rural couples to have another baby if their first is a girl, it spells disaster if their second child is also female, says Wu. Such unwanted girls are often dubbed maggots in the rice . In northeast China, one man was so distraught when his second- born was a girl that he smothered bother her and his other healthy daughter.