China's One Child Policy

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outweigh its criticisms.
In order to fully understand why the One-Child Policy was enacted and its effects, it is necessary to examine the years leading up to the implementation of the policy. In 1949, the People’s Republic of China was formed, and before long, the large population was taking a toll on the nation’s food supply. It was around this time that the government became interested in the idea of controlling population growth and launched a campaign to promote birth control. Although China needed laborers, the government hoped to reduce the fertility rate and thought a stable population was easily attainable (Fitzpatrick). Laws banning birth control, abortions, vasectomies and other methods of sterilization were finally repealed in 1958, and soon after, China began mass-producing numerous forms of contraception while government leaders continued to promote the birth control campaign. The typical Chinese family at this time was still somewhat traditional, in the sense ...

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the government was reducing fertility rates through the use of birth control, officials were concerned with the 1% annual growth in population that was predicted to occur. It was at this point that the government set the goal of a zero population growth rate by 2000 and believed limiting one child per couple was the key to achieving this goal (Hays).
In 1979, China’s One-Child Policy was introduced, allowing couples of Han descent, the major ethnic group in China, to have only one child, and the policy in place today is similar to the original. Although most Chinese couples are forced to follow this law, the policy varies from region to region (Fitzpatrick). For example, there are ...

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