Is it true that birth control is government law in China? What is the fine for breaking the law and having?
more than 2 children?
Yes there is legislation in China governing birth control. In 2002 China passed the “Law on Population and Birth Planning”
But first a little background. China devised the “One Child Policy” back in 1979 to control its exploding population as a ‘temporary’ measure. [so much for it being 'temporary']. It is not an all-encompassing rule because it has always been restricted to ethnic Han Chinese living in urban areas. Citizens living in rural areas and minorities living in China are not subject to the law.
Not only that but revisions have been made to this “policy”. Now that millions of sibling-less people in China are now young adults in or nearing their child-bearing years, a special provision allows millions of couples to have two children legally. If a couple is composed of two people without siblings, then they may have two children of their own, thus preventing too dramatic of a population decrease.
What happens when the “policy/law” is violated?
You should find the following extract sobering:
“China’s one-child policy has recently been described as “arguably the greatest bioethical atrocity on the globe” (Wendy McElroy, Fox News Views, 24 September 2002). Since the 1970s, the Chinese government has conducted a programme of population control through forced abortion, infanticide, forced sterilisation, forced use of abortifacient birth control, abandonment of children and deliberate killing of orphans through neglect. The programme is enforced through severe penalties for those who do not comply with the policy, including extortionate fines, destruction of property, imprisonment and even torture.
It has been calculated that between 1971 and 1985 alone there were some 100 million coercive birth-control “operations” in China, including forced sterilisations and forced abortions (Dr John Aird, Slaughter of the Innocents, AEI Press, 1991). In 1983 a massive campaign of compulsory birth control surgeries was carried out, which reportedly produced 14 million abortions, 21 million sterilisations and 18 million IUD insertions. This campaign was directed by the then minister-in-charge of the State Family Planning Commission (SFPC), Qian Xinzhong.”
What is even more disturbing is that male infant children are considered a blessing and are revered. Female infants are considered a curse. No doubt many of the abortions and children being abandoned are taking place so that the couples can try again if the first child is a female.
Thanks for asking this question Freedom. I’ve always been aware that China had such a birth control policy in place but was not aware that it was not nation wide nor was I aware that some couples could have 2 children.
Kagan: its Fine if The Law Bans Books Because Government Won’t Really Enforce It