Human Overpopulation In China

Would enacting a worldwide family planning policy, such as the one in china, provide a suitable and long term solution to human overpopulation? The future human population size is a growing concern amongst many of the current population size. As the number of people grow, so do the resources need to keep all those people alive, and in turn so do the effects humanity has on the earth. One option to keep the population in check is the fairly infamous One Child policy put forth by China. With each family reduced to having only one child, population was bound to fall as time moved on. Indeed, the fertility rate dropped drastically in China, and with it, the population growth rate. With such results it 's hard to deny the success of the One Child

Beginning in 1979 the One Child policy was enacted in order to drastically slow the population growth rate. Deng Xiao-ping was a major sponsor of the policy, believing that a rapidly falling birth rate was the key to developing the economy, and raising living standards7. The policy was adapted from a previous one entitled the Wan Xi Shao program8 that invited people to marry later, have fewer children, and more years between children. This policy was very effective from 1971 to 1979, although the methods are often called into question. Often women would be harassed or coerced into getting an abortion. The number of IUD insertions increased from 6.17 million in 1971 to 13.95 million in 19736. Both abortion and sterilization operations grew in this time, reaching an all time high in 1975. So by 1980 the fertility rate had dropped to 2.38. Once the one child policy had launched, even harsher restrictions applied to certain families. Mandatory IUD 's, sterilizations, and abortions became increasingly reported. As time moved on policy gradually loosened, incorporating deals for families to have an additional child. Rural communities were granted this right regardless, and other communities adopted a version where a second child was allowed if the first was a girl. By 1993 the fertility rate had dropped down to 1.99. However, many communities varied on the policy, from fines to exceptions regarding children with disabilities. Even within these communities these exceptions and restrictions were changed. Enough so that the term One Child policy could be easily considered misleading. In some cases, following the policy was rewarded, in others breaking the policy was punished. In some cases, a fine could be imposed on the family, or the child 's registration would be delayed (delaying the needed