The one child policy was introduced in China in 1979 to control the country's large population growth. It restricted urban families to only one child and rural families to two if the first was a girl. This led to forced abortions and sterilizations to meet quotas. It also caused societal issues like a gender imbalance. While it achieved population control, it was also criticized for infringing on personal freedoms. Recent changes allow two children per family and ban forced birth control measures.

1. One Child Policy in ChinaBy: Michelle Ho

2. IntroductionThe one child policy in China was to ensure that the big population of China would decreaseFamilies are allowed to only have 1 child if the first one is a boy and 2 if the first one’s a girlIt caused a lot of abortions among female infantsThe one-child policy made an unequal amount of males to females

3. History of the One Child PolicyThere were 250 million additional people living in the country by 1970Mao Zedong let people have as much babies as they want because like he said, “Of all things in the world, people are the most preciousChina had lots of floods and famines and most families didn’t have enough to get feedChina was the world’s 4th largest countryThe One Child Policy was introduced by Deng Xiaoping in 1979The goal of it was to keep the population below 1.3 billion by the year 2000By the mid-eighties, increase of birth control surgeries, abortions, sterilizations, and IUD injections were growing more than thirty million a yearBaby boys are more important than baby girls because the baby boy keep the family’s last name, pass family heirlooms onto their sons, and take care of elders

4. Political conflictA couple may have a second child after a gap of several years after their first childThe government improved the health care of women and children, educated people, and provided birth controls for freeThe price of school fees has increased in the country Researchers estimated that there are 111 males for every 100 females for marriages making generations harder to reproduceThe current fertility rate is between 1.7 and 1.8 births per womanDuring the 1970’s, China began encouraging later marriages, longer gaps between births, and fewer childrenThe elderly population is also increasing because of the working-age population which isn’t expected to decrease until 2015Urban parents were allowed to have 2 kids if both of the parents are an only child but, rural parents can only have one kid unless the first is a girl

5. Economical ConflictA second child brings at least a $3,500 fineA $3,500 fine is equal to 2 decades of income in ChinaDuring the 1970’s, China began encouraging later marriages, longer gaps between births, and fewer childrenIt was estimated that the population growth will be reduced from 1.3 billion to 300 million people over the first 20 yearsMiddlemen earned about $30 for buying a child$30 could be used for building houses and buying tractors for villagesGovernment officials said they prevented 400 million births since the one child policy startedSome families just wanted to have one child because of the pressure of getting an education and needs for the child and managing moneyCouples in the country side could live with a large number of children

6. Abandoned/Living ChildrenBabies are abandoned in public places such as crowded streets, railroads, and in front of public buildings so they can be more visibleHandicapped babies are also abandoned because most parents don’t have the money to cover for additional needsMany children lived with no siblings, aunts, uncles, or cousinsThe “4-2-1” problem” is when one adult is left to care for his or her parents and 4 grandparentsWith just one adult to take care of elders, most older people rely on more retirement benefits and if personal savings fail and the adult child can’t take care of them, they would have no helpSome people worry that the children wouldn’t have a lot of communication skills because they have no siblings in their householdSome people also think it’s not good for children to only play with their parentsSince there are no other siblings in the household, their parents’ are most likely to spoil them

7. Current Status of One Child PolicyAn earthquake hit China killing an estimated amount of 10,000 children but because of the one-child policy, families lost only one childShanghai tries to end the one child by being allowed to have 2 childrenThe officials were afraid that there wouldn’t be enough of the younger generation to take care of the older generationBoth parents worked full time with long hours. Shopping and cooking was part of their daily routineRural families had a more difficult life because peasants who had limited savings and very few pensions need children to support them in their elderly ageEmployment, housing, education, and other benefits have been reduced recently

8. Forced AbortionsAbortions are shocking to families because the laws were more relaxing for many families having 2 children.Many couples believed that they could pay a fine to keep their second babyEven if the parents don’t want to have an abortion, it was the officials’ choiceAbout 500 Chinese women commit suicide each day because of the pressures of the one-child policyMany parents want a son to take care of them in their early age because their daughter moves out, so most of the abortions were among femalesSome injections of abortions can kill womenIf a couple have an illegal pregnancy, it must be canceled

9. Fines from not following One Child PolicyPeople who disobey birth control laws got fined $370Some rich families want more than 1 or 2 children and won’t mind paying off finesIf the fine isn’t paid, the couples land is taken away, their houses get destroyed, they get fired from jobs, or their children can’t attend schoolSome would also have to pay their fines with 200 kilograms of riceFamilies in the city Guangzi are afraid of breaking the rules because they are poor and they would have a hard time paying fines

10. Undocumented ChildrenExtra children born to their parents that reached the one child policy aren’t allowed to get a birth certificate or proper documentation which effects them a lot because they can’t go to school or do anything legallySome parents that are in political or religious activities will still be punished for denying birth certificates or documentation even if they only have one childA lot of parents with more than 2 children don’t register with the government because it only brings more trouble“Black Permit” children are children that are born and raised in secret and was shuffled along relatives and grandparents so they won’t be found that easilyThere are an estimated amount of 6 million undocumented children in China

11. Avoiding the One Child PolicyMigrants to the city are more likely to break the policy than urban residentsTo get more children legally, parents give birth abroad, pretend their children is handicapped, or get divorced and remarriedParents sometimes lie that their second child is a twin to their first child By the mid-2000’s many children were born avoiding the rules and only 1 in 5 was an only child

12. Children from OrphanagesSome children who are in orphanages were took away by family planning officials and orphanages would sell the children to adopting parents. Most from the United States.Money from orphanages were used for food, clothing, and medicine and foster parents usually get $30 a monthFamily officials don’t have the right to kidnap babies but some of them trick illiterate parents to sign forms for orphanagesThe village of Tianxi have officials that would most likely take babies away because they usually hear for evidence of babies. Like crying or diapers on cloth lines

13. People Allowed to Have Additional Children in ChinaIn the cities of Guangdong and Hainan, rural couples could have 2 children and it doesn’t matter which gender came firstUrban couples are satisfied with one child families and are restricted to just 1 childParents who have a child handicapped are allowed to have another child

14. Changes about One Child PolicyThere was a rumor in the mid 1980’s that the government was going to change the policy because they birthrate was increasingBy the late 1990’s most aspects of the one child policy were ended. Second children were longer banned from hospitals and schoolsIn the early 2000’s forced abortions and sterilizations were bannedParents get financial awards for having one childIn May 2007, protesters protest for having heavy fines on extra children. Buildings and cars were burned down and, fought police with guns

15. ConclusionMy reaction to the one child policy is that they shouldn’t make it so strict at first. Couples should get to choose whether or not they want the baby and they shouldn’t get forced abortions. The government should also allow couples to have more female babies because there is an uneven amount of males to females. I don’t blame the people who are willing to lie so they could keep the baby because it’s their baby and they should keep it if they could raise it. I also like the recent laws made because it valued peoples’ opinions.