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China will maintain one-child policy

Posted at 5:08 PM on 10 Mar 2008

Recent speculation that China was rethinking its one-child-per-family policy has been refuted by the country's top population official, who says the family planning policy will not be altered for at least another decade.

source: The New York Times
see also, in Grist: China's population rapidly rising

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Comments: (4 comments)

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unclear what is going on

If ever population control is going to be a seriously recommended policy, we need to study the Chinese experience of population control imposed by a government very closely.

E.g., we need to understand the issue of forced abortions. Who are the victims, and what is the reaction generally?

As for the male/female inequality, I assume that is being caused by preferred abortion of female fetuses, as in India, or else by infanticide of new-born females. So what do we know?

I usually observe where animal rights conflict with environmental values. Here, we seem to have a case of human rights in conflict with environmental values.

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 3:10 AM on 11 Mar 2008

Very Clear on what we don't want.

I think that regardless of the type of govt. or it's intentions, we can be clear that most of the world would not welcome a top-down mandate on the size of families (or the number of children in them).

Of course I think most would prefer a spontaneous decision by people to limit the size of their families not only for their good but for their communities' good as well.

Some research is suggesting that as we continue to educate women (doesn't seem to matter if the men know anything) and move countries into the first world, population growth slows and eventually stops automatically. Normally I'm not in favor of "growing" economies, but that population growth model does appear to have held true for the first world so far.

If you continue to do what you've always done you'll continue to get what you've always got. - Yogi Berra

by Matt at 5:09 AM on 11 Mar 2008

Lowering Human Population

The conflicts between human rights and the rights of the rest of the planet (for example, environmental values) are clear when it comes to this issue. The choice is which rights to prioritize. For me, it's a no-brainer. Humans are destroying the planet with, among other things, their gross overpopulation. Of course the best solution would be for everyone to mentally and spiritually evolve so that they'd voluntarily limit their families to one child until human population is greatly reduced, but in the absence of voluntary action, China's program should be used everywhere on Earth. The planet, its ecosystems, and its species are far more important than any one species or the rights that the species gives itself. Sorry, the world does NOT revolve around humans, only the human world does.

by Wolverine at 1:35 PM on 11 Mar 2008

I'm All For It

I am all for zero population growth,and have been for 20yrs.The human species has and continues to impact the entire planet.We have removed mountains to build airports(japan),we have changed river courses.We have polluted,spoiled,and killed entire species and are in the process of denuding the ocean of everything edible.
Something that has been missed here is that yes,china has the one child per family rule,but that only applies to the urban areas.The rural areas still do not have to go by that rule.So,that still means that the population will continue to grow.
Third world countries,mainly,produce many children because of the mortality rate of infants.Something else though is that the human animal,yes we are animals,when it is threaten by disease,war,or some other kinds of destruction will produce more children to keep the species alive.It is like an animal instict.

Why not ask why!?

by usandthem at 12:08 PM on 23 Mar 2008

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