A new Civil Code goes into effect October 1, 2017 in China.
In this new civil code, the unborn will, for legal purposes, be counted as born for purposes of succession and gifts. However, there's a catch: they must not be born dead. Still, the Chinese code is a step above the Canadian system.
In Canada, the unborn must be born first before they can legally recognized for events that occurred before their birth. This is known as the "born-alive rule." This is not the case in China. In China an unborn baby may inherit and would be considered the legal heir throughout the pregnancy, so long as he does not die. If he dies before birth, he loses his legal rights. I suppose this was done to protect the legality of abortion.
