Home to 1.3 billion people, China is the most populous nation. To curb this enormous population, China has been following strict family planning policies for the past three decades.
While most urban couples are limited to a single child (unless they pay expensive fines), farmers are generally allowed to have a second child if the first child is a girl. Minorities have the most freedom with their family planning; they are often allowed to have two or more children.
In the 1980's, the birth restrictions were often violently enforced, due to the fact that local officials received performance ratings based on how well residents adhered to the family planning specifications. Officials often forced women to abort fetuses that would have resulted in a 2nd child for the family, and many more men and women were forced to undergo sterilization operations. Today, most areas rely on fines to ensure compliance, but forced abortions are still present.
The result of the restrictions has been a drastic imbalance in the ratio of boys to girls, since many families place a higher value on sons and have used "selective abortions" to ensure that the child is a boy. While officials argue that the restrictions have prevented "400 million births and allowed the country to prosper and better live within its resources", China's fertility rate is extremely low and its population is aging rapidly. Already, the country's largest manufacturing centers are facing labor shortages since there is a lack of young workers. Young people seem eager to change the restrictions; surveys indicate that a vast majority of younger Chinese citizens favor being able to have two children.
Zhao Baige, vice minister of the National Population and Family Planning Commission revealed at a news conference that government officials recognize that China must alter its current population-control policies. "I cannot answer at what time or how, but this has become a big issue among decision makers," said Baige. However, another official warned that change would be gradual and would not signify an elimination of family planning policies.
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Do you think the restrictions should be lifted, or does China's large population still warrant the family planning policies?
How would you feel about the restrictions policies if you were forced to comply with them?
Is it fair for the government to have such a large say in (arguably) one of the most important decisions of your life: to have children?
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2 comments:
Although this regulation is effective, it is hard to regulate in many cases. Many poor people in China choose to have multiple children regardless of the consequences because they have nothing to lose. They are so poor already that the fines do not make a difference.
I think that a huge impact of this one child limit effects gender favoritism. I think many families there value a boy more than a girl. This in turn increases the amount of girl babies left for adoption or perhaps dead. I remember seeing a TV news report about this topic a while ago and that there are tons of orphanages/adoption places filled with little girls. I know that because of this problem of increasing girl orphans, many Americans have adopted some of these Chinese girls over adopting children in the US, seeing the need for helping to create better lives for the unwanted girls.
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