China rethinks its one-child policy

[n2doc]

China's one-child policy, probably the most audacious exercise in social engineering the world has ever seen, could be up for review, as Beijing policymakers worry about the effects of a population ageing fast, with insufficient numbers of youngsters to support them.

There is speculation that a gradual rollback of the policy – first imposed 31 years ago – will start next year with pilot schemes in the five provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Zhejiang and Jiangsu.

An official at the Population and Family Planning Committee, who did not wish to be named, acknowledged that a change in the rules was being discussed, but added: "There has been no news about any change in policy from the inner circle of government. Any possible change would cause a huge reaction, so the government would take very careful consideration before making any official announcement about this policy."

Under the one-child policy, imposed as a way of reining in population growth which was running at dangerously high levels in the world's most populous nation, most families were limited to one child.

The aim was to reduce fertility levels to 1.7 children per family, because this was seen as the only way of improving living standards. At first, couples were encouraged through education and propaganda to have one child, but this soon gave way to tougher measures: the early 1980s saw widespread sterilisation, especially among women in rural areas.

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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-rethinks-its-controversial-onechild-policy-2077152.html

[LARED]

1. An utterly contemptible policy beyond imagination

The fact the the world virtually ignored this abuse of human rights is even more contemptible.

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. +1

[Hamlette]

4. What I read was that it was pretty convincing that China would face mass starvation

it's been nearly 30 years since I read much about this but I did a fair amount of research here and in China in the mid 80s. I too was skeptical but became convinced China would face mass starvation. I in no way want to imply that I agree with some of the methods used to enforce the policy. Couldn't happen here, but maybe should.

[LARED]

10. Well it looks like China traded the possibility of starvation for

this real problem.

By 2050 the country will have more than 438 million people over 60, with more than 100 million of them aged 80 and above. There will be just 1.6 working-age adults to support every person aged 60 and older, compared with 7.7 in 1975. Government forecasters expect China's population to peak at around 1.5 billion in 2032.

Seems to me an impossible situation. A few years of starvation might fix this problem, but no matter what they do or allow to happen, it's a problem of their own making.

Not to mention the generation of Chinese that had their reproductive rights subjugated by the state.

[Hamlette]

14. we all should

have our reproductive rights curtailed. IMHO.

and 1.6 working age adults is not that far off the US is it? I thought it was 2-3 working age in US for each retiree.

How is it a problem of their own making? You are not advocating starvation are you? If that was the option? Mass starvation in 20 years or control the birth rate? That seems like a complete no brainer to me. You'd take mass starvation?

[Hello_Kitty]

5. Compulsory parenthood is equally contemptible.

Yet that's happening in a lot more places in the world.

[LARED]

8. Really? Never heard of it. Please provide some info - nt

[Hamlette]

15. laws prohibiting abortion or access to birth control is far more common n/t

[LARED]

16. Well that may be true, but that's not compulsory parenthood.

[Gregorian]

7. It's not a limitless planet.

Population is threatening our very existence. We are up in arms over deregulation of financial institutions, yet population is a magnitude more threatening.

If people aren't going to take personal responsibility to help preserve the planet, should we just ignore it and hope that tomorrow will not be a disaster for the humans who are going to try living here?

Touchy subject, unless you care more about the specie than your own free will.

[L0oniX]

18. Oh look ...ponies and teddy bears...

Don't worry be happy or denial is a major part of the problem and it is the engine that keeps the train moving. I assume and expect that there will never be a great turning although that is the only action that will save us.

[Odin2005]

9. Preventing overpopulation is "utterly contemptible"?

:eyes:

[LARED]

11. This is utterly contemptible

At first, couples were encouraged through education and propaganda to have one child, but this soon gave way to tougher measures: the early 1980s saw widespread sterilisation, especially among women in rural areas.

This still goes on today and the issue is as contentious as ever. Chen Guangcheng, a blind activist who was released from jail this week in Shandong province, was imprisoned in 2006 after he wrote a report about the status of women in his local area of Linyi, a region with some 10 million residents. In it he revealed how tens of thousands of people who had an illegal number of children and were ineligible to have any more were compelled to undergo late-term abortions, with others forcibly sterilised. The report included accounts of men arrested and their wives forced to abort eight months into their pregnancies. The policy has also led to a serious gender imbalance, with 120 boys to every 100 girls

The state trying to manage population (not control) through education, incentives etc, is ok, but when the atate starts forced abortions and sterilization, it called an abuse of human rights.

[Gregorian]

13. We all agree with that. There are ways to incentivize family planning.

We're at an explosive period, despite how Dr. Ehrlich now feels about the state of affairs. I don't think we should just sit and watch and hope it doesn't all lead to the train wreck it appears to be leading to.

Well, that's enough of my comments. I have little to say.

[L0oniX]

17. "What a Way To Go: Life at the end of empire".

Population growth chart ...scary.

[wickerwoman]

19. Not half as contemptible

as the Catholic church's stance on birth control in developing countries.

Curtailment of reproductive freedoms is unfortunate and ethically questionable.

Recklessly encouraging the birth of hundreds of thousands of babies who will lead miserable lives and ultimately starve to death because "God will provide" is contemptible.

Spend five minutes walking down a street in Shanghai and then spend five minutes walking down a street in New Dehli. Notice the difference? I'll give you a hint. No skeleton children fighting wild dogs for garbage.

The one child policy lifted literally tens of millions of people out of a species of grinding poverty you can't even imagine.

I don't support forced sterilization, but I wouldn't characterize as "contemptible" a policy that has done an incredibly amount of good for most Chinese people.

[n2doc]

2. kick n/t

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. Maybe they should hire geriatric specialist from America?

[pampango]

12. Prosperity has led to smaller family sizes everywhere-Europe, North America, Japan,

South Korea, Taiwan. Don't see why it will be any different in China even without a draconian government program controlling family size.