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A pregnant woman's relatives and a hospital in Yulin, Shaanxi province, are blaming each other for causing the death of 26-year-old Ma Rongrong and her unborn child.
The two sides blame each other for denying the woman's request to have a C-section, which allegedly led to her jumping to her death from the fifth floor of the hospital.
Last Wednesday, the pregnant woman, who was a week away from delivery, was admitted to the First Hospital of Yulin to give birth. On Aug 31, Ma jumped out of a window while "mentally out of control" from the pain she was experiencing during labor, according to the hospital's statement.
Ma died after rescue efforts failed. The police ruled out foul play.
What lead to the tragedy? The hospital and the woman's relatives are revealing entirely different details. And the incident has triggered heated discussion online.
The First Hospital of Yulin has released two statements on its Sina Weibo so far, saying that both Ma and the hospital had suggested performing a cesarean operation many times, but her family refused to permit it.
A screenshot of the agreement shows that Ma's family agreed on delivery through natural labor instead of cesarean even if Ma's condition was not suitable for natural labor.
The hospital claimed on Tuesday night that the surveillance footage shows Ma leaving the maternity ward twice to beg that her husband and family let her have a cesarean, only for her requests to be rejected.
In the latest response to the hospital's statement, the relatives further claimed Ma was in too much pain to stand, causing her to squat down on the ground rather than kneeling.
Yan Zhuangzhuang, Ma's husband, was quoted by the Beijing Youth Daily as saying that the family demanded a cesarean but the hospital refused to perform one.
"My wife twice came out of the delivery room saying 'it is too painful to tolerate,' so I told the doctor to do a cesarean, but the doctor said that there was no need for a cesarean as my wife is safe and the baby was coming out," said Yan, according to the report.
After more than an hour a nurse came out of the delivery room and told him Ma had disappeared. He later saw Ma's body being lifted from the ground and put onto a stretcher.
Indifferent or irresponsible?
Ma's suicide has triggered outrage and heated discussion online, with most netizens accusing the family of being cruel and indifferent in ignoring Ma's request. Others asked why doctors at the hospital wouldn't have done what their own patient had asked them to.
Under a regulation released by the State Council, China's Cabinet, medical institutions must get consent from patients and a signature from a family member before performing surgery, but doctors can make decisions without consent in emergencies.
Gong Xiaoming, a gynecologist at Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, said pregnant women should have the right to decide whether to have a natural birth or C-section.
"In reality, in many cases in China the decision to have a C-section is made by the patients' family members and the doctors," he said.
Sources: China Daily, Global Times
Editor: Jiao Jie
