Woman to kill unborn child in womb after report detects 'criminal' XYY genes in boy

A Chinese woman has taken the drastic decision of aborting her unborn boy after she was told that the infant had XYY syndrome which many people believe will lead him to become a person with violent and aggressive tendencies.

In the prenatal checks, a random website revealed that there was XYY syndrome in the unborn child, which is a genetic condition that has been wrongly linked to human criminal behaviour.

The six-month pregnant woman, identified as Jiujiu, lives in Sichuan province, southwestern China. On July 14, she posted her prenatal examination report on Douyin in which it was reflected that her unborn baby had a high chance of having XYY syndrome.

What is XYY criminal syndrome?

XYY syndrome, which is also known as Jacob’s syndrome, is a condition in which the child gets an extra Y chromosome. XYY syndrome is exclusively found in males.

“Generally speaking, individuals with XYY syndrome might appear more masculine and taller than others,” said Qi Qianrong, who is the Reproductive Medicine Centre of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University's embryologist in the central province of Hubei, while speaking to the South China Morning Post.

Also Read:Israel-Hamas war: Newborn saved from dead mother's womb in Gaza

“The condition is not rare, with reported cases being one in 1,000. Many people have chromosomal abnormal conditions, which usually do not affect normal life,” Qi stated.

Woman takes difficult decision to abort child

Jiujiu on July 18 took the decision to abort the pregnancy after discussing it with her family members and consulting the doctors.

“Given the uncertainties after birth and my situation as in an ordinary family, I decided to terminate the pregnancy to be responsible to myself and the unborn child,” Jiujiu said.

“I hope people will not stigmatise XYY syndrome. You should understand the reality of this condition from a doctor. Regardless, losing the child is a painful experience for me,” she added.

Watch:China: 2 killed as Typhoon Gaemi ravages China

Meanwhile, embryologist Qi said, “People’s understanding of XYY syndrome is one-sided. They exaggerate traits such as violence or criminality. Some criminals have the syndrome, but it doesn’t mean all with the syndrome will be criminals."

“A person’s character is not solely determined by chromosomes but also by family environment, education and other factors,” he added.

(With inputs from agencies)