China probes forced abortion case after national outrage

Beijing, June 14 (IANS) Authorities in China's Shaanxi province have launched an investigation into an incident of forced abortion, pledging that anyone found responsible will be punished according to relevant laws and regulations, Xinhua reported Thursday.

Feng Jianmei, 27, was forced to terminate her pregnancy at seven months in a hospital in Zhenping county June 2.

Details of the case, including several photos showing the remains of the foetus lying next to the mother on her hospital bed, were posted at online forums. It shocked and angered many people nationwide.

Many netizens described the case as outrageous and tragic.

"It is brutal to end a new life that will soon come into the world. It breaks my heart to see such a thing," one of the netizens "Fen Hong Shan Hu Hai" wrote in a post on Sina's Weibo.com, the country's largest microblogging website.