A Hong Kong-based airline has apologized for requiring a passenger to take a pregnancy test before a flight in November to Saipan, a United States territory in the Western Pacific that is a popular destination for so-called birth tourism. The carrier, Hong Kong Express Airways Limited, said in an emailed statement this week that it had stopped administering pregnancy tests after re-evaluating the contentious practice. The apology came a little over two months after the passenger, Midori Nishida, blogged about her experience on a Nov. 9 flight from Hong Kong International Airport to Saipan, which is in the Northern Mariana Islands. The commonwealth has become a magnet for expectant Chinese mothers because babies born on the island are eligible for United States citizenship.

Source: International New York Times January 17, 2020 03:22 UTC