Woman cuts off son's penis because she wanted a girl

A woman in Yancheng, a city in the eastern Jiangsu Province was given a five-year jail term for cutting off her five-month-old son's penis because she always wanted a daughter, the Jinling Evening News reported today.

The 23-year-old convict, Xiao Meng, gave birth to her son Yaya last March. Her husband surnamed Zhan and mother-in-law recalled that after Yaya was born, Xiao Meng often talked to herself: "I wish it could be a girl."

Zhan told the newspaper that his wife often slapped the baby and clutched him by the neck. However, he thought she was suffering postnatal depression and didn't worry too much.

The court heard that on August 15, 2011 Zhan's mother heard the baby crying. She rushed into the room and found Yaya's penis had already been cut by Xiao Meng with a pair of scissors.

Yaya was sent to hospital immediately. His life was not in danger and he can pee normally after treatment in Shanghai. But doctors said it is almost impossible for him to regain productivity.

In the court, Xiao Meng admitted that she bought the scissors and cut the penis on her own and she did this only because she wanted a daughter.

Zhan told the paper that Xiao Meng used to say that a son would be a big burden because the parents are responsible to buy him a house and get him a wife.