Chinese Doctor Sentenced to Death for Stealing, Selling Babies

Told parents babies had congenital problems and convinced them to give the newborns up

A Chinese court on Tuesday convicted a doctor of baby trafficking and sentenced her to death with a two-year reprieve, after she admitted in court that she stole babies from the hospital where she worked and sold them.

Zhang Shuxia, an obstetrician, told parents their newborns had congenital problems and persuaded them to give them up, according to the Weinan Intermediate People's Court in Shaanxi.

In China, suspended death sentences are usually commuted to life imprisonment after two years.

The case exposed a baby trafficking ring that operated across several provinces centering on Zhang. According to online postings by the court, she sold the babies to human traffickers, who then resold them at higher prices. In a July case, Zhang pocketed 21,600 yuan ($3,600) when she passed a baby boy to a human trafficker, who resold the child for 59,800 yuan ($9,900) to a couple in central China's Henan province.