What on earth could make an expectant mother commit suicide? Why does she have to end her life and that of her unborn child? Here is a true-life pathetic story of a pregnant woman who committed suicide. This happened in August 2017. Read along….

The Great Fall

It was 8 pm that day and the whole environment of the hospital was serene. The magnificent building of the hospital was a beautiful sight to behold usually at night. The ‘first hospital’ as it was usually called was one of the biggest hospitals in the city of Yulin in northwestern China.

Ma Rongrong couldn’t hold her pains anymore. It was unbearable. She could feel severe contractions in the muscles of her uterus. The pressure in her lower abdomen had greatly increased. The pain in her lower back was so intense.

Earlier that evening by 6 pm, she had gone into labour but it was futile and here she was groaning in pains again. She couldn’t withstand the pain anymore and was weeping bitterly. She got up from her bed, gathered some courage and walked towards the window in her room. Her room was situated on the fifth floor of the hospital’s building. She opened the window and fixed her gaze on the ground floor of the building. Voila, she jumped out of the window.

A Week Before The Fall of The Pregnant Woman Who Committed Suicide

Yan had brought his 26-year-old pregnant wife into the hospital. She was a week away from delivery and the duo were expecting their first child. On medical examination, her vital signs were okay but there was a problem. Her baby’s head was bigger than normal and the doctor concluded that it was impossible to have a safe vaginal delivery. So, the doctor suggested she opt-in for a caesarean section. Yan told his family about it but they bluntly refused. This was just a few days before her due date.

The Baby Is Coming…

Ma Rongrong went into labour as expected few days after she was admitted into the hospital. She could feel contractions in her womb. The baby was coming. The nurses were alerted and immediately, she was rushed into the labour room. She tried pushing but to no avail. Her family had earlier signed a document stating that she would deliver naturally.

The doctor advised they perform a caesarean operation on her immediately but her family refused bluntly again. Her mother-in-law had told her to persevere during labour that the baby would eventually come out. Ma Rongrong tried pushing severally but the pain was too much. The nurses would take her out of the labour room when the pain was too much and bring her back when she had another severe contraction and was ready to push. Still, the baby wasn’t coming.

What’s Wrong With A Caesarean Section?

It was believed that her family opposed the caesarean section for some reasons. They felt that the doctors were trying to look for an avenue to charge more. Also, they believed that having a caesarean section now could make her second pregnancy more complicated and may lead to her death.

But why should her family opinion matter? It was her life, not theirs. Why couldn’t she sign the document and opt-in for a caesarean section? Well, it was against a law in china. For a pregnant woman to be operated upon, she needs the consent of her family. Her consent alone is not sufficient to carry out such a task.

Ma Rongrong’s Final Request

The CCTV footage showed that Ma Rongrong was caught two times kneeling and begging her family. She had walked out of the maternity ward to beg them. In addition, she was crying and pleading with them to sign the documents. She was ready for a caesarean section. The pain was unbearable for her. Still, her family refused. Her mother-in-law kept saying she should persevere the pain.

Some Minutes After The Fall

Ma Rongrong’s lifeless body laid on the windshield of the truck in the parking lot. She was gone! Her baby was gone! She had jumped out of the window in her room. She couldn’t bear the pain anymore coupled with the refusal from her family. Also, she couldn’t control her emotions anymore that she decided to commit suicide. The best option was to jump out from the window.

She had begged her family severally to give their consent. She had even begged the doctor. No one was willing to listen to her.
Thirty minutes later, Ma Rongrong’s body was discovered. She was instantly placed on a stretcher and rushed to the emergency room. Unfortunately, she had died. A nurse claimed she saw her trying to jump out of the window but it was too late before she could stop her. Yet, it took up till 30 minutes before her body was discovered.

The Other Side…

Her husband Yan claimed that the hospital’s narration of the story was untrue. He said he didn’t refuse a caesarean section. He claimed that he had enough money for the surgery and his family was rich. Furthermore, he explained that they finally agreed to a caesarean section but the doctor said it was too late that she had gone far into labour. Also, he claimed the doctor later said that she could give birth naturally.

The head of the hospital and the head of the maternity ward were later suspended after some investigations. However, the public believed that the family were just trying to shift the blame on the hospital staff. It wasn’t the hospital’s fault. It could only have been their insensitive indifference to Ma Rongrong’s pain that made her commit suicide.

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The Never Ending Drama: The Pregnant Woman Who Committed Suicide

Who do we blame for the death of the pregnant woman who committed suicide?Do we blame her family for not giving their consent? Or should we blame the hospital for failing to yield to Ma Rongrong’s request? Or do we cast the blame on this so-called Chinese law who requires just the family consent before a caesarean section can be performed?

My Thoughts…

I would cast the blame partly on this so-called Chinese policy put in place. Why do they need the family’s consent alone before a caesarean section can be performed? I think the maternal approval is just sufficient for them to perform the surgery. The family’s decision should not overrule the decision of the woman. It’s her life. Also, the hospital and her family are also to blame for this. What’s your thought on this?

Writer: Isibor Precious
Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria.