Chinese Woman Who Became Pregnant Three Times in Four Years to Avoid Prison Ultimately Faces Consequences for Repeated Actions

No evidence of child-rearing leads to reincarceration
Adoption of children also revealed
Abuse of home execution system for pregnancy and breastfeeding

A Chinese woman who repeatedly became pregnant to avoid imprisonment has ultimately faced legal consequences. On August 20, local media outlets such as the Shanxi Evening News reported that Ms. Chen Hong, who was sentenced to five years in prison for fraud, was investigated by prosecutors after it was discovered that she had repeatedly become pregnant and given birth over four years to evade incarceration.

Ms. Chen was sentenced to five years in prison for fraud in December 2020, but was placed under 'house execution' by the court instead of imprisonment because she was pregnant at the time.

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In China, prisoners who are seriously ill, pregnant, breastfeeding newborns, or unable to live independently may temporarily serve their sentences outside prison. These individuals receive community correctional services at hospitals or their homes, under the supervision of local community correctional agencies. Typically, local prisons and public security agencies are responsible for this. Prisoners must submit medical or pregnancy examination reports every three months and undergo regular inspections by the local prosecutor's office.

Ms. Chen exploited this law and managed to avoid proper incarceration for the past four years by becoming pregnant and giving birth three times with the same man. However, authorities became suspicious of her actions and launched an investigation, which led to a shocking discovery: there was no evidence of child-rearing at Ms. Chen's residence. There were no traces of raising three children in her home, and the household registration of the third child had been changed to the name of her ex-husband's older sister.

She Will Serve the Remainder of Her Sentence in Detention Center Due to Remaining Term

The investigation revealed that Ms. Chen was already divorced, with her ex-husband raising the first and second children, and the third child had been given up for adoption. Prosecutors determined that Ms. Chen had abused pregnancy and childbirth as a means to evade serving her sentence and immediately decided to re-incarcerate her. However, considering that her remaining sentence was less than one year, she was ordered to complete her term in a detention center rather than a prison. She is currently serving the remainder of her sentence in a detention center, in accordance with the court order.

A Shanxi Province prosecutor stated, "Pregnancy and childbirth may be grounds for house execution to protect mothers and children, but abusing this by repeatedly becoming pregnant and giving birth goes against the intent of the law," adding, "We will impose strict punishment for similar cases." A local legal expert in China commented, "Under the Criminal Procedure Law, women who are pregnant or have given birth may be eligible for house execution, but if they repeatedly use this to avoid imprisonment, forced incarceration is possible," and affirmed that the court's action was appropriate."

This case has also become a major topic of discussion among Chinese internet users. Many commented, "It's even more shocking that someone can become pregnant whenever they want," "It's heartbreaking that children were born just as a means for their mother to avoid imprisonment," and "It's surprising she wasn't caught for so long."