So ruthless!
A 27-year-old woman called Qianqian (alias) from Xiamen, Fujian, wished the relationship with her young boyfriend Xiao Hu (alias), seven years old younger than her, could lead to a happy ending.
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But her happiness lasted short. After her son was born, everything just has changed. Postpartum complications occurred in her heart with thrombosis, epilepsy and other symptoms. She was diagnosed with lymphoma later.
"I’m so ugly now, right? My hair falls out. But I looked pretty even when I was pregnant," the mother says. Looking at her old photo, she says that after two phases of chemotherapy, her face and chin become swollen and her arms get some bruise.
Qianqian has now received two phases of chemotherapy, and the cost of the first phase was paid by Xiao Hu’s family. At first, every time after receiving treatment, Xiao Hu would drive to the hospital and pick her up. However, since 6th September, after his father rushes to Chongqing, her boyfriend has appeared since then. She can’t contact Xiao Hu’s family and doesn’t know where her son is.
Ms Zhang says that even though her daughter has lymphoma, she would not have a series of complications and delayed the treatment if she did not give birth to the baby.
After three years of romance, she left Xiamen to Chongqing for pursuing her ideal marriage. She thought she could have a grand wedding and move into their new house after she gave birth to her son. Her boyfriend’s parents even promised to buy a car for her.
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But her happiness lasted short. After her son was born, everything just has changed. Postpartum complications occurred in her heart with thrombosis, epilepsy and other symptoms. She was diagnosed with lymphoma later.
Now, her merciless boyfriend’s family take away her son and leave her alone fighting the disease. Qianqian wants nothing but her little son. She says, “they can abandon me. I just want to bring my child back to Xiamen.”
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"I’m so ugly now, right? My hair falls out. But I looked pretty even when I was pregnant," the mother says. Looking at her old photo, she says that after two phases of chemotherapy, her face and chin become swollen and her arms get some bruise.
At beginning, Xiao Hu’s family was willing to look after her, amd er mother, Ms Zhang, also rushed to Chongqing, taking caring of her in turns with Xiao Hu. But gradually, she finds that the attitude of Xiao Hu’s family has changed. The family don’t want her to contact with Xiao Hu, and often sits at her bedside, discussing the issue of treatment costs with her.
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Qianqian has now received two phases of chemotherapy, and the cost of the first phase was paid by Xiao Hu’s family. At first, every time after receiving treatment, Xiao Hu would drive to the hospital and pick her up. However, since 6th September, after his father rushes to Chongqing, her boyfriend has appeared since then. She can’t contact Xiao Hu’s family and doesn’t know where her son is.
Until 13th September, when she returned to Xiao Hu’s home, she met him but refused to explain anything. She also found that the house was already empty.
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Ms Zhang says that even though her daughter has lymphoma, she would not have a series of complications and delayed the treatment if she did not give birth to the baby.
Ms Zhang says, "my daughter exchanged his life for the have the baby. How can they take him away?" The last time Qianqian saw her son was on 3 September. At that time, her brain nerves were pressed due to the thrombus, causing the body paralyzed and she was sent to the emergency room for rescue. She could only see her son from the crack of the door. “I miss my baby. They steal my baby."
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Last Sunday, Xiao Hu suddenly sent a message to her on WeChat. It says "I will give back all your things I can find. The rest will be sent to you once they are found out. I will give you a legal document in several days. If you are in a hurry, you can go to Xiamen first.” Then Qianqian can’t reach him anymore.
Qianqian now looks at her son’s previous videos and photos every day, and she is confused about her future. "His whole family is out of touch. I don’t know if my baby can get used to drinking milk formulas. It’s getting cold. Do they buy clothes for my baby? The doctor says it’s improbable for me to give another birth in the future, or it may kill me.”
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Stung by paying billions of dollars for settlements and trials, chemical giant Bayer has been lobbying lawmakers in three states to pass bills providing it a legal shield from lawsuits that claim its popular weedkiller Roundup causes cancer.
Nearly identical bills introduced in Iowa, Missouri and Idaho this year — with wording supplied by Bayer — would protect pesticide companies from claims they failed to warn that their product causes cancer, if their labels otherwise complied with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations.
But legal experts warn the legislation could have broader consequences — extending to any product liability claim or, in Iowa’s case, providing immunity from lawsuits of any kind. Critics say it could spread nationwide.
"It’s just not good government to give a company immunity for things that they’re not telling their consumers,” said Matt Clement, a Jefferson City, Missouri, attorney who represents people suing Bayer. “If they’re successful in getting this passed in Missouri, I think they’ll be trying to do this all over the country.”
Bayer described the legislation as one strategy to address the “headwinds” it faces. About 167,000 legal claims against Bayer assert Roundup causes a cancer called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which Bayer disputes. The company has won some cases, settled many others but also has suffered several losses in which juries awarded huge initial judgments. It has paid about $10 billion while thousands of claims linger in court.
Though some studies associate Roundup's key ingredient with cancer, the EPA has regularly concluded it is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans when used as directed.
The costs of “defending a safe, approved product” are unsustainable, said Jess Christiansen, head of communications for Bayer's crop science division.
The legislation was introduced in targeted states pivotal to Bayer's Roundup operations and is at a different stage in each. It passed the Iowa Senate, is awaiting debate in the Missouri House and was defeated in Idaho, where this year's legislative session ended.
Farmers overwhelmingly rely on Roundup, which was introduced 50 years ago as a more efficient way to control weeds and reduce tilling and soil erosion. For crops like corn, soybeans and cotton, it’s designed to work with genetically modified seeds that resist Roundup’s deadly effect.
Missouri state Rep. Dane Diehl, a farmer who worked with Bayer to sponsor the legislation, cited concerns that costly lawsuits could force Bayer to pull Roundup from the U.S. market, leaving farmers to depend on alternative chemicals from China.
“This product, ultimately, is a tool that we need," said Diehl, a Republican.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, said in an email the legislation maintains the integrity of the regulatory process and, without it, “Iowa risks losing hundreds of jobs” in Muscatine, an eastern Iowa city where Roundup is mostly produced.
The Associated Press is seeking public records on Bayer’s communications with governor's offices in Iowa, Missouri and Idaho.
Bayer, like other companies, hires lobbyists in states to advocate for its interests. The company backs this legislation in the states where “we have a big, direct economic impact,” Christiansen said.
Roundup’s key ingredient, glyphosate, is derived from phosphate mined in Idaho. And St. Louis is the headquarters of its North America crop science division, acquired in its 2018 purchase of Monsanto. Because of that, many of the lawsuits are filed in Missouri.
The five lobbyists registered for Bayer in Iowa and three in Idaho is largely consistent with recent years, but the number working in Missouri this year ballooned from four to nine. Lobbyist expenditures exceeded $8,000 in Idaho this year; similar information was not available in Iowa or Missouri.
Led by Bayer, a coalition of agricultural organizations called Modern Ag Alliance also is spending tens of thousands of dollars on radio and print advertisements claiming that trial lawyers and litigation threaten the availability of glyphosate.
On its website, the group asserts that at risk are 500 jobs connected to glyphosate production in Iowa, and 800 jobs in Idaho.
Bayer stopped short of threatening closures. The Iowa facilities, including in Muscatine, “are very critical facilities to our business, so we'll remain at some sort of support level,” Christiansen said.
At issue in the lawsuits and legislation is how Bayer – and any other pesticide company — communicates with consumers about the safety of its products.
Companies are required to register products with the EPA, which evaluates — and then reevaluates every 15 years — a pesticide and its label. The EPA reiterated in 2020 that glyphosate used as directed posed no health risks to humans. But a federal appeals court panel in 2022 ruled that decision “was not supported by substantial evidence” and ordered the EPA to review further.
The debate over glyphosate escalated when a 2015 report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, said it's “probably carcinogenic to humans" based on “limited” evidence of cancer in people and “sufficient” evidence in study animals.
Based on that international report, California sought to add a cancer warning label to products containing glyphosate. But a federal appeals court ruled against California last November, concluding such a warning wasn't factual.
Christiansen emphasized that many regulatory agencies worldwide agree with the EPA and insisted Bayer has to stick to EPA labeling to ensure it isn't providing false or misleading information. She added that the company is transparent in the information it does provide.
Critics of the legislation aren't convinced, citing examples such as opioids and asbestos that had been deemed safe for use as directed — until they weren't.
There also are concerns that the legislation could stifle any product liability claim since most rely on the argument that a company failed to warn, said Andrew Mertens, executive director of the Iowa Association for Justice, an organization for trial lawyers.
Jonathan Cardi, a product liability and torts expert at Wake Forest University School of Law, also said a strict reading of the Iowa legislation extends beyond liability claims, and “the way it’s drafted makes it interpretable to mean nobody could bring any suit.”
In lobbying lawmakers and in speaking with the AP, Bayer representatives disputed that the legislation would cut off other legal actions. Several legal experts said the legislation is unlikely to affect the 18,000 lawsuits already pending in Missouri’s capital of Jefferson City, and wouldn’t prevent claims in states that don’t adopt similar legislation.
In Idaho, the Republican-led Senate narrowly defeated the bill amid concerns about relying on federal agencies' safety standards and limiting the ability of harmed individuals to sue.
John Gilbert, who farms in Iowa Falls, Iowa, with limited use of Roundup, called Republicans hypocritical for attempting to protect corporate interests after campaigning on standing up for Iowans.
The bill “invites a lot of reckless disregard," said Gilbert, who is on the board for the Iowa Farmers Union. “No amount of perfume’s gonna make it anything but a skunk."
Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri.
FILE - Soybeans are seen in a field on a farm, Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, in Iowa. The maker of a popular weedkiller is turning to lawmakers in key states to try to squelch legal claims that it failed to warn about cancer risks. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
FILE - The Bayer AG corporate logo is displayed on a building of the German drug and chemicals company in Berlin, Monday, May 23, 2016. Bayer, the maker of a popular weedkiller, is turning to lawmakers in key states to try to squelch legal claims that it failed to warn about cancer risks. Bayer disputes such claims but already has paid about $10 billion to resolve them. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
FILE - Phosphate ore is dug up and transported from Monsanto Company's South Rasmussen Mine site near Soda Springs, Idaho, July 16, 2009. Bayer acquired Monsanto in 2018. Bayer, the maker of a popular weedkiller, is turning to lawmakers in key states to try to squelch legal claims that it failed to warn about cancer risks. The company disputes such claims. A key ingredient of the weedkiller, glyphosate, is derived from phosphate mined in Idaho. (Bill Schaefer/The Idaho State Journal via AP, File)
FILE - Containers of Roundup are displayed on a store shelf in San Francisco, Feb. 24, 2019. Thousands of legal claims against drug and chemicals company Bayer assert Roundup causes a cancer called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which Bayer disputes. (AP Photo/Haven Daley, File)
FILE - A soybean field is sprayed in Iowa, July 11, 2013. The maker of a popular weedkiller is turning to lawmakers in key states to try to squelch legal claims that it failed to warn about cancer risks. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
