Michael Szonyi is a Professor of Chinese History at Harvard University who has advised the U.S. government on Chinese demographic issues.
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Michael Szonyi
BEIJING, CHINA - APRIL 02: A young Chinese cries as she waits for feeding at a foster care center on April 2, 2014 in Beijing, China. China's orphanages and foster homes used to be filled with healthy girls, reflecting the country's one-child policy and its preference for sons.Ê Now the vast majority of orphans are sick or disabled. China says it has 576,000 orphans in its child welfare system though outside groups put the number at closer to a million. The parents who abandon them either cannot afford treatment or feel an inability to cope with raising a child who has special needs.Ê In many cases an unwanted baby is never registered so the parents can skirt the one-child policy if they try for another. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
