A regulation introduced in Zhejiang Province, which stipulates parents of babies aged over 1 must undergo a parental test to get a birth certificate, is aimed primarily at preventing child trafficking and protecting children's rights, provincial health authorities told the Global Times via e-mail on Thursday.
Parents must also pay for the tests themselves.
The regulation stipulating the need for proof of parentage came into force in the province in June 2012, meaning that it is in effect from June 1.
Many Web users speculated that the regulation is aimed at cracking down on violations of the one-child policy, while others have questioned the protection of people's privacy.
The privacy of both parents and child will be protected, the department affirmed. Babies born out of wedlock or babies born due to IVF will be issued the certificate if the mothers alone can provide their ID cards.
Xia Hong, a nurse who handles birth certificate issuance at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, confirmed to the Global Times that there could be a possibility that a child was trafficked when issuing a birth certificate has been delayed. "Some parents still prefer boys to girls. When a mother gave birth to a baby girl, the family might sell her and apply for the birth certificate for a later purchased son," Xia said, "the parental test is a must in such cases."
According to Zhejiang health department, parents should normally provide their ID cards to apply for a birth certificate within 30 days of the birth of their child.
Zhu Huiqing, an obstetrics nurse at Hangzhou First Hospital said few parents put off the application for over a year. In most cases, the baby was born out of wedlock or it was not the only child in the family, zjol.com.cn reported.
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