Giving birth in itself is already a stressful situation and giving birth while on a plane while in transit to a different country can be even more stressful, but for a Taiwanese woman only identified as Jian, things just got more stressful. China Airlines is now looking to charge the woman the amount of money the airline had to spend for the cost of diverting the flight to Alaska.
Not only could she possibly be charged, she was also deported back to Taiwan on Oct. 17, separating her from her newborn baby girl who remained in the United States (U.S.). It's not exactly an ideal situation for a new mother; however, many people in Taiwan speculate that it was a calculated move made by the pregnant woman to give her child an American Citizenship.
Aviation Police Bureau officer Chen Hsiu-tzu said that Jian was not in violation of the Republic of China's (Taiwan) immigration laws but they must still investigate the reason why the woman was denied entry and deported by the U.S. The bureau also confirmed that Jian's newborn daughter is classified as a U.S. citizen since the pregnant woman gave birth within the U.S. air space.
Even the Taiwan Government has given its opinion on the issue because the government is a majority shareholder of China Airlines, considering the incident as a selfish act on Jian's part in order to secure American citizenship for her child. There are also accusations that Jian lied to the airlines about how far along she was in her pregnancy since, under Taiwanese law, pregnant women need to secure a certificate from a doctor once they reach 32 weeks.
Weni Lee, China Airlines' media staff, confirmed that the airlines' insurance firm is still looking into the case and, if proven that Jian lied and was really past 32 weeks in her pregnancy, she will most likely be forced to cover the cost of diverting the flight to Anchorage which, Taiwanese media estimates to approximately $33,000.
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