The Necessity of the Chinese Family Planning Program

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In the early 1960’s, the People’s Republic of China found itself at a challenging crossroads. Leaders recognized that the population of China had recently surpassed billion people. Several factors contributed to the recent boom in the population. Improved technology and access to medical resources allowed people to live and work longer. Previous leaders had encouraged citizens to have more children in order for the nation to prosper. Furthermore, within the Chinese culture, a large family was considered a traditional sign of happiness. However, leaders recognized the future problems stemming from the population growth rate. With the rapid population growth, China’s ability to produce food would soon be unable to sustain the population. Recent history, the famine of 1958 which killed 20 million Chinese citizens, had taught the Chinese leaders that a lack of food can soon create a desperate situation. Additionally, efforts at modernizing the country had been hindered by the lack of urban land; 70% of China still remained rural. With this in mind, China developed a radical and controversial program that sought to remedy this situation. The China Family Planning Program mandated that each family would be limited to giving birth to one child. Although the implementation of this program had grim consequences, from the purely economic and political viewpoint it was necessary to carry out this program to ensure a successful future for China.

At the simplest level, the Chinese Family Planning Program Policy stated that under no circumstances could a family give birth to more than one child. In the 1950’s and 1960’s the population was sky rocketing, to the point where leaders of the country were getting concerned. “The Baby Boom” took plac...

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...n Office of the State Council Of the People's Republic of China, Aug. 1995. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. .

"China's One-child Policy Could Backfire On Its Elderly." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. Center for International Child Health, 15 Sept. 2005. Web. 19 Jan. 2012.

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Hesketh, Therese, Li Lu, and Zhu Wei Xing. "The Effect of China's One-Child Family Policy after 25 Years." Center for International Child Health, 15 Sept. 2005. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. .

Wei-xiong, Li. "Family Planning in China." Schweizerische Akademie Für Medizin & Ethik. National Research Institute for Family Planning. Web. 19 Jan. 2012.

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