Women give birth in HK for residential right
(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2006-06-22 14:21
Many pregnant women on the Chinese mainland are traveling to Hong Kong to
give birth, lured by the residential right endowed to their babies, Beijing
Morning Post reported today.
According to Hong Kong's immigration department, infants will receive a Hong
Kong identity if the parents can provide a birth certificate from a local
hospital and their own valid identity certificates, no matter where they are
issued, on the mainland or in Hong Kong.
One out of every three women who give birth in public hospitals in Hong Kong
is from the mainland, said the local hospital authority.
Some underground agencies in Shenzhen, neighboring city of Hong Kong, are
taking advantage of the regulation, arranging pregnant women to give birth in
Hong Kong.
These women are usually approached by the agencies while they are visiting
the city's maternal and child health hospitals for check-ups.
The woman will be charged tens of thousand of yuan for the service along with
accommodation and traffic expenses during her stay in Hong Kong. She also has to
pay the hospital bills there.
Besides Hong Kong's favorable welfare system and strong education system, a
great number of women go there to give birth to their second or third child,
which is illegal on the mainland, said a lawyer in Shenzhen.
China started its family planning policy in the early 1970s, to ease the out
of control populace rate. Officials estimate the policy has prevented the births
of about 400 million children.
The Hong Kong government is reconsidering the regulation to mend the
loop-hole.
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