Resignation reflects professional ethics

The resignation of renowned forensic expert Wang Xuemei shows that she adheres to the importance of her work, which deserves our respect, says an editorial in Beijing Youth Daily. Excerpts below.

Renowned forensic expert Wang Xuemei has issued a statement through video that she has decided to resign as vice-chairman of the Chinese Forensic Medicine Association and won’t be a forensic expert anymore because she can no longer tolerate an academic association that issued such a "ridiculous and irresponsible" conclusion.

Being a forensic expert requires professional skills. The dead won't talk, so it's the forensic experts' responsibility to properly "translate" the language of the bodies and speak for the dead. Forensic experts' work requires high professional ethics to maintain the legitimacy of this job.

Wang's resignation not only reflects her high professional ethics, but also attempts to draw public attention to Chinese forensic experts' unsatisfactory work.

Recent professional scandals have been exposed by the media, such as Shanghai judges' collectively soliciting prostitutes, and doctors in Fuping county, Shaanxi province, selling newborn babies. It's unfair to totally disparage a whole profession because of a few people's wrongdoing. But these scandals provoked wide public indignation because they crossed the line.

We salute Wang Xuemei for her long-term dedication to professionalism and ethics, as well as her adherence to the importance of forensic work. Wang kept her word to "be loyal to the dead", which deserves our respect.