Home - I Disagree - One Child Policy - Abolish or Not?

One Child Policy - Abolish or Not?

Apr 7, 2010

With its over 1.3 billion people, almost one fifth of humanity, China has had to take stringent measures to deal with its population explosion. For the past three decades, China's one-child policy has effectively prevented four hundred million births, a number greater than the entire U.S. population. In many ways, the policy seems to have worked: With fewer mouths to feed, poverty has fallen, living standards have improved dramatically, and China has become an economic power to be reckoned with. However, as a result of the one-child policy, China faces new problems: a looming demographic disaster as the population ages, social and psychological problems of the only-child generation, and criticism from overseas concerning human rights violations. After 30 years' of implementation, the government-established deadline for the policy is just around the corner, and a fierce debate rages over whether to keep the policy in place, or to abolish it.

Tags: I Disagree,One-Child Policy,aging population,gender imbalance,human rights

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Its population is three times the size of Canada’s and if it was a country, it would be one of the most heavily populated in the world. And many of you may never have even heard of Henan province.

China's most populous province just got more crowded. In fact, according to a recent study, the population of Henan in Central China is expected to exceed 100 million by July this year.

This will make Henan the first province in China to cross the 100 million barrier. The latest census puts the current population in Henan at 99.68 million people, making its population three times the size of Canada, 1 and a half times the size of the UK and a third of the population of the US. In fact, if Henan was a country, it would be the 11th most populated in the World, just behind Mexico.

The 100 millionth Henan baby is estimated to be born sometime in the summer. The province is currently in the midst of its fourth birth peak since 1953. There are nearly one and a half million births every year, with on average 3,800 babies being born every day.

The one-child policy is still strongly enforced in Henan. While Beijing and Shanghai have been taking steps to relax the policy and allow couples to have a second child, no such change is expected in Henan.

The province's family planning officials claim that without the policy, Henan's population would now stand at more than 130 million.
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Imagine having to take care of both your parents and both sets of grandparents. And your spouse is in the same situation. Neither of you have any siblings to help and you might have a child of your own to support too.

This is the situation for millions of adults in China.

As China's aging population rapidly grows, the elderly need health care, food to eat and a bed to sleep on. They need company.

How is China dealing with its growing aging population? How can the country lessen the burden on the children?

Katie Fischer is joined by:

Professor Du Peng
Director of the Institute of Gerontology at Renmin University of China

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Founder and director of Community Alliance

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Who do you think has won the debate?
	Jonathan Alpart, for one-child policy
	Ma Ning, against one-child policy