Heated discussion over loosening of one-child policy

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Heated discussion over loosening of one-child policy

(Xinhua) 09:46, November 17, 2013

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(Photo Source: chinanews.com)

ZHENGZHOU, Nov. 16 -- After China announced its decision to loosen the one-child policy, heated discussion and controversy has broken out in the country's most populous province, Henan.

According to the decision approved at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee held from Nov. 9 to 12 in Beijing, the new policy will allow couples to have two children if one of them is an only child.

The evening after the decision was issued, a major Chinese web portal started an online poll regarding "whether people would choose to have a second child." Thousands of people voted in less than two hours, and more than 60 percent of them said "yes."

PROS

"The adjusted birth policy did not only meet many people's expectations, but is in line with a long-term balanced development of the population in China, " said Zhang Yuanzhen, a professor at Henan Institute of Family Planning.

"It could be positive for structural population problems such as the aging problem, persistent imbalance of genders and decrease of working population," Zhang said.

"The new policy will help keep the birth rate stable, preventing a sharp decline in population after it reaches the peak," said Zhang. It is estimated that China's population will reach a peak of 1.5 billion around 2033.

The family planning policy was introduced in the late 1970s to slow down population growth by limiting most urban couples to one child and most rural couples to two children if their first child was a girl.

It is estimated that the policy has resulted in 400 million fewer people in China, and the current fertility rate is stable between 1.5 and 1.6, far lower than the population replacement level.

The policy was relaxed somewhat in 2011, to reduce some social problems, and its current form stipulates that both parents must be only children if they are to have a second child.

HESITATION

The most populous province with 120 million, Henan was the last to relax the policy due to the pressure of continuing population growth.

Will there be another baby boom which will worsen the difficulties of sending children to kindergarten and school? People are starting to wonder.

Internet user "Huang Shan" said, "I don't want any more children. The problem is that there are not enough social resources. It would be funny if there aren't enough schools and hospitals for more babies."