My thoughts

Lately in Humanities, we’ve been discussing our thoughts and opinions about this law. Most of us voiced a dislike of the government controlling what amount of children a couple was allowed. No one likes being controlled, and it’s just unfair to say that people are only allowed to have one child, and if they break that law, there is a heavy fine or loss of their job. “…Breaking the one-child rule would result in a heavy fine… State officials who have more than one child automatically lose their jobs, a heavy punishment…”

 

This law was imposed because previously there had been a law to have as many children as possible, because the leader wanted to, “…bury the United States in a human wave.” That whole part of the article reads, “China's population went out of control after Mao Zedong's instruction to the nation in the 1950s and 1960s to go and have as many children as possible in order to bury the United States in a human wave. …Hundreds of millions of extra children were born in a baby boom that sent the birth rate soaring to 5.8 children per couple, a level unsustainable by China's natural resources of food, water and energy.” After that ruler died, the next one ordered the “One-Child Policy” to help the resources in China become less strained. What they didn’t expect was that it would be a bad thing to have less children, “But this is still below the level of 2.1 children needed to maintain population levels, and as such is starting to put pressure on state resources.”

 

Many of the girls in our class also thought that it was unfair that boy where favored, just because they could handle more labor. No one in the government considered what large amount of work women can do, and what would happen in the future if they encouraged the birth of boys over girls. It says that, “…Chinese officials estimate that by 2020 there will be 30 million men known as, 'bare branches." Unable to find a wife to marry and have their own child…” Apparently no one thought of this before the law was imposed.

 

Most people agreed that this law was bad, but in the words of one of my classmates, if the law was lifted, all the people would have more babies in nine-months, and all the resources in China will be strained. Apparently the officials feel the same way as my classmates, because the article says, “…Although all Chinese feel that the one-child policy has been a good thing for their country, most say they personally wish they could have had more children. Officials are said to fear that if the policy is simply lifted overnight, there will be a population explosion…” No one seemed to consider that some people wouldn’t change their lifestyle and have more children, others would wait a few years, and others may go off and have many kids. The main point is that without a law forcing you to do one thing, even if you do not “break” that rule once it’s removed, it still is great to not be forced to do something you may or may not want to do.

 

Another factor is that many boys were “turning out bad” for want of a better term. It says, “ Another consequence of the one-child rule has been the creation of a generation of 'little emperors, “…Indulged and cosseted boy children who are often overweight, arrogant and lacking in social skills.” I was shocked to read that the “preferred” gender was acting inappropriately, especially when their unborn sisters can do nothing to save their own reputations.

 

I was also shocked to read the measures women and their families would go to so that they were still following the ridiculous law, “…Through state-imposed abortions among pregnant women…” I detest abortion, because it kill a tiny child, who may not be wanted, but still deserves our love. I couldn’t believe that women would kill these innocent unborn children, so that their families would not get fined. I understand that they were under much pressure to obey, and where would this child go, if it was born, because no one would adopt a baby when the law was strictly against multiple children in one household.

 

So, in conclusion, I strongly disagree that this law is good, and can’t wait to see the end of it. I’ve found many reasons why this law should be disbanded, and I think that most people would agree with me, because the death of innocent children is absolutely horrendous.