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China to begin two-child policy

bbc.co.uk

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Re: China to begin two-child policy

#31

Post by fnordfnordfnord »

MC7447a wrote: post #24
s_dev wrote: post #9

Overpopulation is an interesting problem, it exponentially affects every other problem we have -- some balance will have to be found between ultimately telling people they can't kids or maintaining that those people have autonomy over their own lives and can make such a decision. I don't know what the solution is - perhaps making the developing world developed as fast as possible.

Overpopulation is a non-problem. Fertility has fallow to near- or below-replacement rate everywhere in the world, except Afrika (which will likely follow in the next decades.) A nice talk from Hans Rosling on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA5BM7CE5-8

I love Rosling's talks.

Re: China to begin two-child policy

#32

Post by sugarcube »

laichzeit0 wrote: post #26
s_dev wrote: post #9

Overpopulation is an interesting problem, it exponentially affects every other problem we have -- some balance will have to be found between ultimately telling people they can't kids or maintaining that those people have autonomy over their own lives and can make such a decision. I don't know what the solution is - perhaps making the developing world developed as fast as possible.

You mean like the problem of telling people they can't just drive cars or own firearms and need to meet some competence criteria first, i.e. licensing? If so, I totally support the idea of licensing human breeding.

Unfortunately, that quickly leads into fashist territory (eugenics)...

Re: China to begin two-child policy

#33

Post by Rubu »

paublyrne wrote: post #7

This has been expected for a while. Hopefully it can help address the increasing gender imbalance. It has reached 6:5 male to female births, resulting in huge numbers of Chinese men who cannot find marriage partners.

Reminds me of this[0] article that showed up a couple of days ago, which is about a Chinese economist that suggested to legalize marriage between 1 woman and multiple men. Didn't go over to well as I'm sure you can imagine.

[0] http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/26/china-polyand...

Re: China to begin two-child policy

#34

Post by ZenoArrow »

laichzeit0 wrote: post #26
s_dev wrote: post #9

Overpopulation is an interesting problem, it exponentially affects every other problem we have -- some balance will have to be found between ultimately telling people they can't kids or maintaining that those people have autonomy over their own lives and can make such a decision. I don't know what the solution is - perhaps making the developing world developed as fast as possible.

You mean like the problem of telling people they can't just drive cars or own firearms and need to meet some competence criteria first, i.e. licensing? If so, I totally support the idea of licensing human breeding.

> "If so, I totally support the idea of licensing human breeding."

That sort of licensing is ripe for abuse. What would happen if someone in power took that license away from you just because they didn't agree with your political views?

Re: China to begin two-child policy

#35

Post by kirsebaer »

laichzeit0 wrote: post #26
s_dev wrote: post #9

Overpopulation is an interesting problem, it exponentially affects every other problem we have -- some balance will have to be found between ultimately telling people they can't kids or maintaining that those people have autonomy over their own lives and can make such a decision. I don't know what the solution is - perhaps making the developing world developed as fast as possible.

You mean like the problem of telling people they can't just drive cars or own firearms and need to meet some competence criteria first, i.e. licensing? If so, I totally support the idea of licensing human breeding.

Are you going to force women to abort "unlicensed" children? Force women to have birth control implants?

Up until the 1990s in Spain, many thousands of children were systematically stolen from political activists and others with the wrong politics or wrong lifestyle. Parents were told that their newborn had died. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15335899

Re: China to begin two-child policy

#36

Post by r-w »

The Giver’s portrayal of systematic euthanasia of the elderly comes to mind. I really hope we never have to make that kind of decision. After all, what choice could possibly be compatible with our principles of liberty, equality, respect, and fairness? This may be the hardest ethical problem we can’t afford not to solve.

Re: China to begin two-child policy

#37

Post by jpatokal »

GordonS wrote: post #3
austenallred wrote: post #2

This link has a bit more information: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-11/15/c_1328919... (Yes, it's from a couple of years ago, but it describes China's thinking).

"China will loosen its decades-long one-child population policy, allowing couples to have two children if one of them is an only child, according to a key decision issued on Friday by the Communist Party of China (CPC)." So there are still rules, just not as stringent.

The parent links to an old article, and that's the old rule which was just overturned. Now everybody can have two -- but apparently still no more than two?

Re: China to begin two-child policy

#38

Post by jpatokal »

nabla9 wrote: post #20

Once-child policy was brutally enforced and cruel. It was also highly effective way to reduce poverty. China vs. India: GDP per capita versus fertility rate http://www.google.se/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9_&ct...

Incredibly brutally enforced at times: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_abortion_of_Feng_Jianme...

Re: China to begin two-child policy

#39

Post by TorKlingberg »

The once-child policy has been gradually weakened for some time. It will be interesting to see the future population trend in China. I can see it going one of two ways:

1. Multiple children has previously been reserved to those with political connections or money. Now that everyone can have two they will jump at the opportunity.

or

2. Almost every young person in China has grown up in a single child family and sees it as the normal family. Social norms are also based around parents dedicating a lot of resources to one child. So they continue to have only one child. In about a decade China may have to start encouraging people to have more children, like Japan.

Re: China to begin two-child policy

#40

Post by austenallred »

jpatokal wrote: post #37
GordonS wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"China will loosen its decades-long one-child population policy, allowing couples to have two children if one of them is an only child, according to a key decision issued on Friday by the Communist Party of China (CPC)." So there are still rules, just not as stringent.

The parent links to an old article, and that's the old rule which was just overturned. Now everybody can have two -- but apparently still no more than two?

Correct
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