Anti-natalist Policy in China by James Tedder and Harry Cussins

A policy in which a government will look f or ways todiscourage more birthsThe world’s best known antinatalist policy is that ofCommunist China.

China’s marriage law of 1950

These are four categories of the marriage law:

• Contraceptive and Induced abortion procedure.

• One child incentive.

• National Family Planning Commission.

• Government Recommendations.

One Child Policy.

One of the main problems china is facing is overpopulation. In 1979 the one child policy was introduced. In urban settings parents are limited to having one child but in rural settings parents are allowed two children provided the first is a girl. This policy consists of three main points:

• Advocating delayed marriage and delayed child bearing.

• Advocating fewer and healthier births.• Advocating one child per couple.

Chinese Government recommendations

• Special ‘social nurture’ levies on parents with children born outside the national population plans

• Heavy taxes on those with excessive births.

• Tax exemption on those with only 1 child

The Effects

• The one child policy has dramatically reduced the number of births in China.

• Chinese families where traditionally large.

• The current rate is down by 1.8 children per woman. Howether there are still many over-quota births especially in rural areas.

• Families that cannot afford the crimes sometimes feel pressure to abandon their children which is a punishable crime.

• So many children are left in orphanages.

Reasons for Policy:

There are benefits from this policy. The most important is the ‘One-Child Certificate’. This grants the parents many benefits:

• Income bonuses.• Better health care benefits.• Better retirement pensions.• Priority in housing.The mother is also granted a longer maternity

leave. The child receives preference for day-care.

Conclusion

• Many things go on in China that are unknown by people in other countries. The stories of forced abortion can be very sad and hard to believe, but they are true.

The One-Child Policy dramatically reduced the number of birthsin China. Chinese f amilies were traditionally large. The current rate of

births is down to 1.8 children per woman. However, there are still manyover-quota births especially in rural areas. Families that cannotaff ord the fines sometimes f eel social and fi nancial pressure toabandon the child. Abandonment is a punishable crime, but mostare overlooked and go unpunished. Many Chinese children end up inorphanages or are adopted either within China or by f amiliesoverseas.