(ECNS) -- Wu Xia, an unwed mother not legally permitted to give birth, turned to online crowdfunding to pay her 40,000 yuan (about $6,444) fine, giving rise to Internet debate.
Wu, who is not married, is obliged to pay the fine as children born outside marriage are not entitled to legal support, according to a birth control official from Nanjing city, Jiangsu province in east China.
Instead of being entitled to social welfare under China's one-child policy, having a child means Wu must pay a hefty fine. Seeing no other way out, she eventually resorted to crowdfunding.
Some netizens say Wu is being disadvantaged and eligible for support from others. But there are also some who think giving money to her would encourage babies born outside marriage.
The situation is ironic because Chinese law clearly states that both illegitimate and legitimate children are indiscriminately recognized by the law. But in practice, single mothers lead difficult lives because they can't enjoy a lot of child subsidies.
Many have been left behind by their partner and are also too young to make a living, let alone raise the child by themselves. There have been cases of mothers killing their illegitimate children due to the enormous pressure.
