Case Study 6
Caring for Asian Children Resource
eCALD Supplementary Resources
The following case study illustrates the expectations of a perfect baby and how the parents reacted and responded towards the news that their baby had a cleft palate. The case study provides a question for viewers to consider and reflect.
Case Study 6: Birth defects (Chinese)
Jinjing Xu arrived from Shanghai with her husband 5 years ago. She is pregnant for the first time. Mrs Xu has a scan at 25 weeks of gestation. The scan reveals that the baby is a girl and that she has a cleft palate. Jinjing and her husband are determined to terminate the pregnancy. There is a lot of pressure from Jinjing’s mother-in-law in China who expects a grandson and a perfect baby.
In China, late termination and abortion is acceptable. Abortion clinics are government- funded and termination of pregnancy services are available on request for women except in cases of sex-selective abortion. Despite this policy, sex-selective abortion continues to be prevalent and practiced because it is not easy for the Chinese government to regulate the practice and son-preference in Chinese families persists. In many cases the couple can pay, when having an ultrasound or will try to pay to be told the sex of their child (Hesketh et al, 2005; Junhong, 2001).