Something inside my head jolted and the vibration lasted few seconds. I could not believe what I heard. It seemed so emotionless for her to say that.

I kept the phone back to its cradle, took it again and dialed.

“The ‘problem’ with her is that she is pregnant”, I told my husband. My heartbeat became faster and felt heaviness in my chest. I hesitated for a moment before talking again “and she is planning to abort it”. I heard him swear twice.

He was there when I lost my baby and he understands how much it takes to deliver a baby. Most of my friends had at least one miscarriage and some do not have kids. Here, in this part of world people are simply aborting babies while many people are desperately praying for babies of their own; at least one to say their own.

She might have fought with her conscience before taking this decision. What else can she do being a Chinese? She is a family friend of mine. They survive on her husband’s meager salary but is not enough even for his only son’s education. It was very difficult for her to become pregnant and on top of that she had one or two miscarriages. Then they got a son. Few years later she got pregnant again and now they are initiating an abortion. They have no other option as long as government follows strict ‘one-child’ policy.

Government takes tax or call it a ‘fine’ of 1, 20,000 RMB (7, 50,000 INR) from a couple if they have a second kid. Apart from tax they do not receive help from government for second child’s education. Yet another word for cruelty. Chinese government is so keen about country’s development but look what they do with people’s emotions. Moreover everyone knows that old folk are more than youth. It is disheartening that the government still continues with ‘one-child’ policy. Will it still continue to develop; even if no one exists in the country?

Her words still echoed in my head. Tomorrow a small life that just sprouted would end by a few clicks and cuts of an oblivious forceps. Tiny heart would stop beating without even given a chance to see its mother’s face. Even from such short acquaintance through umbilical cord, which acted like phone connection from mama, this tiny hear beat would have understood it is no more wanted in this world.

I wanted to run to hospital to stop it, to beg them not to kill it. Why is this necessary? At least they could have given baby to somebody who needs a baby. But who dares to take a step. I cursed my helplessness.