The One-Child Policy in China - Essay Example

Heading: The one child policy in China Name: Institution: Course: Tutor: Date: The one child policy in china Introduction The one child policy was introduced in china in the year 1978 but it came to effect a year later in the year 1979. It was directed to all the Chinese who live in the urban areas but was to be exceptional for some people. Among the cases where the policy was to be exceptional include; twins, ethnic minorities, people living in rural areas, and foreigners who live in China. The proportion if the population subjected to this policy represents about 35.9% of the total Chinese population (Pütten, 2010). The main objective of this policy was to control the population and prevent it from over shooting. The government was aiming to alleviate the economic problems in china as well as the environmental and social issues. It is not clear whether the policy has been effective. However, it is claimed that between the year 1980 and 2000, about 250 million births were prevented. By the year 2011 since its inception, the policy had prevented an approximated 400 million births. The policy has been highly criticized mostly on humanitarian grounds (Greenhalgh, 2008). This essay argues against this policy and presents three arguments which are human rights violation, high percentage of abortions and female infanticide in China. Arguments The one child policy in china was aimed at eradication poverty and improving the economy of the country. As a result of the growing population, it was becoming increasingly difficult to allocate the available national resources. Reducing the rate of birth would be effective in countering this problem. It would increase the life styles of people since it would be easier to raise one child than it would be to raise many children (Pütten, 2010).However, the policy is seen as a violation of human rights. Human being should be given the rights to determine the number of children they wish to have. In addition, they should be at liberty to decide the spacing of their offspring. Matters regarding the family should not be made national. They are personal and should be addressed by citizens not the government. An International Conference of Human Rights held in the year 1968 proclaimed that people should be given the freedom to decide the number of children they want to have as well as the spacing of their children. As a result of the policy in China, women are demanded to go for abortions in cases where their pregnancies are against the one child policy (Steven, 2012). It is violations of women rights to force them go for abortions when they are not ready for it. This also denies the unborn the right to live. Everyone have the right to live including the unborn unless the situation is medical. It is imperative to note that different families have different abilities to raise young ones. For instance, while a certain family might find it difficult raising more than one child, there are other families which have enough resources to raise more children. In fact, people in the urban areas have more income as compared to those in the rural areas. Restricting such families to just one child is a violation of their human rights since they would be willing to have more children (Nayak, Franzini& Morrison, 2008). It was argued that the one child policy would lower the fertility rate among the Chinese. In fact, the strategy was successful since it reduced the fertility rate to 1.61 births per woman in the year 2009 from 2.63 in the year 1980. This would be an effective way of controlling the population (Greenhalgh, 2008). However, the policy has led to increase in the number of abortions. Some of the abortions are actually forced. As a general rule, abortion is a crime and should not be legalised. In China, owing to the one child policy, abortion is now legal. It is needless to say the effects abortion can have on women who opt for it and to the society at large. Women are harassed and violated so that they abort. It is against the law for a woman in the urban area to have a second pregnancy. If a woman is caught pregnant of a second child, they are forced to abort the child and this exposes their life to dangers associated with abortion (Steven, 2012). Actually, the policy has been viewed as controversial both within and without china. This is because of the social problems associated with it. Most children who are aborted are of the feminine gender. The other argument for the one child policy is the fact that it would alleviate social problems in China. The policy which was implemented in the late 1970s was aimed at improving the social status of Chinese citizens (Greenhalgh, 2008). Too many births are associated with a number of social problems. These problems are more in the urban areas due to congestion. In fact, dense population in the urban areas could be associated with various issues such as diseases, poor sanitation,and high level of unemployment leading to poor quality of life among other problems. The policy was therefore aimed at alleviating these problems. However, while the policy has been successful in addressing some of those problems, it has caused other social problems which are even more serious. Female infanticide has been on the increase. This is a situation whereby the female children are killed immediately after birth. Very few female births are reported in China since the girl child is killed immediately after being born, usually within 24 hours. This has resulted to gender imbalance in China. The number of men in china is very high as compared to that of women. The ratio is said to be 117 men to 100 women. The policy has led to boy child being more preferred to the girl child. It has led to a wide gap in size that exists between men and women. The policy is actually very complicated in China than it is seen in the international scene. It is said that those leaving in the rural areas are allowed to have a second child. However, this is only possible if the first child is a girl. The policy is likely to cause problems in the future such as labour shortage. There is increased age dependency ratio in China. This might go on to affect the economic growth (Nayak, Franzini& Morrison, 2008). The other social problem associated with the policy that most parents are likely to over indulge their solo child. As a result of children being brought up with no other children to play with, they are likely to have very poor communication problems when they grow up. Their cooperation skills will also be highly compromised. This would have negative effects on the child in his or her adulthood. Conclusion The one child policy in china has not been as effective as it was expected to be. Many people still go against the policy and get the second child. The policy has failed to fully achieve its objectives. Instead, it has actually gone on to violate ethical validations. Despite the fact that the policy have had some positive aspects it has violated the human rights by denying people the right to decide the number of children they wish to get. In addition, it has also denied people the right to decide the spacing of their children. The policy further violates the rights by forcing women to go for abortion. It has also contributed to gender imbalance in China due to increased female infanticide. The policy is associated with a number of social problems which are even more than the once it actually solves. I would therefore advocate for reversing of that policy since it is not good. It has brought more issues and concerns in China. References Greenhalgh, S. (2008).Just one child: Science and policy in Deng's China. Berkeley: University of California Press. Nayak, S., Franzini, L., Morrison, A., & University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston. (2008). An overview of China's one child policy and health consequences on society. (Masters Abstracts International, 47-1.) Pütten, J. C. (2010). Moral Issues and Concerns about China's One-Child Policy: A Cosmopolitan Perspective. München: GRIN Verlag GmbH. Steven, W. M. (2012). China's one-child policy itself leads to forced abortions.The Lancet, 380 (9853), 1558.doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61881-9 Read More