Reader Offended by Story of ‘Miracle Child’

I am writing in response to your Jan. 4 article entitled “A New Baby Restores Hope to a Devastated Family,” by Ching-Ching Ni. As a frequent reader of the L.A. Times, I found this to be the most offensive article I have ever read in your newspaper. While I see the underlying story in the article, I feel that the author should have taken a closer look at the story before choosing to write about it.

It is indeed a tragedy to lose a child, and I sympathize with this family. However, the birth of this child is not as much of a blessing as it is being made to seem. The real Zhu En, or “Gift of God,” is the fact that they were able to conceive a second child to try and cure their sick son.

Why is it necessary to write an article about a “miracle child” when there is already a healthy child in this family? While I understand the subtleties of other cultures and their belief and value systems, you forget that you are writing for an American newspaper about a family living in the United States, not in China. A majority of the population reading this article cannot understand that because the second child was a girl, her life is any less of a miracle than the birth of baby Andrew. I am disappointed with all of the people who were involved with the writing, editing and printing of this article. Its appearance in your newspaper shows very poor judgment.

ANGELA AVOGARO