TEAM KATHNIEL

AGAINST. ( THE WINNING TEAM AGAD AGAD)

The One Child policy is often strictly
enforced in China and many parents are
given information about contraception to
prevent any chance of an unplanned
pregnancy. However a large number of
pregnancies- within any population- are
inevitable, despite the precautions that
parents may take. Whether as a result of
defective medication, irresponsible
behaviour, or simple bad luck, sufficiently
frequent sexual activity will always lead to
pregnancy.
Reports from human rights workers
indicate that the Chinese states deals with
such eventualities by forcing women to
have abortions against their will. By some
accounts, the state directly detains and
punishes women who resist family
planning policies.1 The psychological
trauma caused by this is almost
indescribable. Not only does a forced
abortion represent a significant attack on
a womans bodily autonomy, procedures
of this type are officially contextualised as
correcting the results of wrongdoing. The
woman is not counselled or assured that
she is not morally culpable for her
actions; she is placed in a position where
the destruction of her foetus is portrayed
as the inevitable result of her own lack of
responsibility. Chinese women are made
to feel directly responsible for the loss of
their unborn children or for the
circumstances that gave rise to their
pregnancy.
Further the Chinese authorities often
force people to be sterilised against their

PRO
The Chinese authorities outlaw forced
abortions. The violations of human rights
are outliers and rarely occur. When they do
they are punished badly.
Such violations are regrettable; however
the one child policy carries a number of
benefits for the vast majority of Chinese
families. Since the implementation of the
policy family planning in China has become
significantly better and thus the overall
benefit to all of China outweighs the harm
that is incurred by a tiny minority of
people. 1
Without population control measures,
quality of life in China would decline for all
citizens who must compete for limited jobs,
healthcare resources, and access to social
services, particularly in rural areas.2
1

Associated Press. China Will Outlaw

Selective Abortions. MSNBC. 07-012005.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/68004
05/#.TrhsabJVO90
2

"Family Planning in China." Information

Office of the State Council of the People's
Republic of
China. http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ce/cegv/e
ng/bjzl/t176938.htm

will. This has happened in some cases

almost immediately after birth, which is
incredibly traumatic for the people
involved. Further, should these people
ever leave China it prevents them from
raising a family in the future with more
than a single child. Again, forced
sterilisation in this way causes large
psychological harms due to the manner in
which the persons body is violated.2
1

Life Site News. "Forced Abortion Still a

Reality in China Says New Amnesty
Report." Life Site News. 27-052005. http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/
archive/ldn/2005/may/05052706
2

Elegant, Simon. Why Forced Abortions

Persist in China. Time. 30-042007.http://www.time.com/time/world/ar
ticle/0,8599,1615936,00.html

Many Asian cultures have a preference for

sons over daughters due to traditions
involving inheritance. Further, in rural
communities a son is often preferable to a
daughter simply because of the amount
of work that they can do for the family.
As well as this, sons act as primary
caregivers for the parents when they go
into retirement and the sons parents are
often treated better than the daughters.

The Chinese authorities are getting better

at preventing selective abortion of females
since it was banned in 2005. Whilst the
demographic changes resulting from the
one child policy are regrettable, they are
ultimately what the Chinese authorities are
seeking from the one child policy. 40 million
men who cannot marry are unlikely to have
children and contribute to Chinas
population problems.

It is for these reasons that often when a

Chinese family finds out that they are set
to have a daughter they attempt to
selectively abort it and try again for a
son. This is technically illegal in China,
however, this has only led to back alley
abortions which often carry a much
higher chance of mortality for the mother.

Whilst there is harm to society from these

men being unable to marry, the problem of
overpopulation in Chinas future which is
being prevented by the one child policy
outweighs this harm significantly.1
1

Associated Press. China Will Outlaw

Selective Abortions. MSNBC. 07-01-

Further, it has also led to parents

abandoning female children or leaving
them to starve so that they may try again
with a son. In Chinas rural provinces it is
much more difficult for the authorities to
deal with every case given the sheer
number of people over such a large area
and as such these crimes often go
unprosecuted or punished.

2005.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/68004
05/#.TrhsabJVO90

This process not only leads to human

rights violations, as mentioned, but it also
skews the gender balance of the Chinese
population. Specifically, since the
implementation of the policy in 1979
many men are finding there are simply no
women to marry. By 2020 it is estimated
there will be 40 million men unable to
marry in China simply because of the lack
of females.1
1

Baculino, Eric. China Grapples with

legacy of its missing girls. MSNBC. 09142004.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/595
3508/ns/world_news/t/china-grappleslegacy-its-missing-girls/#.TrhyCLJVO90
The one child policy is a policy that can
be ignored fairly easily by richer people
within China. Through their ability to
bribe officials as well as their ability to
hide extra children using foster parents
and the like, it is easily possible for richer
people to flout the one child policy. This
has shown itself in the form of many
wealthy Chinese officials, entrepreneurs
and celebrities who have been caught
ignoring the one child policy. For example
between 2000 and 2005 1968
government officials in Hunan violated the
one child policy.1

The policy itself has no malicious intent and

is not aimed to harm different communities
to a different level. An argument about the
rich ignoring the one child policy is an
argument for better regulation of the
current policy, which is meant to be
completely fair no matter a familys status
or wealth, not the abolition of the policy
itself

Given that this is true, the one child policy

serves to create social division in China. It
is perceived by the poorest Chinese
communities as an obstacle to prosperity.
By imposing harsh penalties (both moral
and fiscal) on parents who attempt to
maximise not only their future welfare,
but also their familys economic prosperity
by trying for a son, the one child policy
undermines social development within
Chinas rural and working classes.
Moreover, it serves to entrench negative
perceptions of Chinese officials and
business owners as corrupt tyrants. How
else will marginalised communities relate
to a law that undermines the cohesion of
their families and that the wealthy can
exempt themselves from? 2
1

Liu, Melinda, Chinas One Child Left

Behind, Newsweek, 19 January
2008,http://www.thedailybeast.com/news
week/2008/01/19/china-s-one-child-leftbehind.html
2

ibid

Interventions and contraceptive

techniques such as condoms and sex
education have proven to be more
effective than the one child policy in
aiding population control. Thailand and
Indonesia for example achieved the same
ends as China in reduction of their
population just using these methods of
birth control and family planning.
Further, the benefits of one child in
population control are often exaggerated.
From 1970 to 1979, through education
and an emphasis on having smaller
families and more time between
pregnancy the Chinese government was

The One Child policy in China acts as an

extremely powerful check on the
population. With 1.3 billion people,
problems of overcrowding and resource
depletion in China are bad and will get
significantly worse without change.1
The reality of the abolition of the one child
policy is that with an increase in birth rate
from the current level of 1.7 to 2.1 which is
not unreasonable given population growth
in other countries, there would be 5 million
more births per year in China than there
are now resulting in 250 million more
people by the middle of this century.

able to reduce its birth rate from 5.2 to

2.9.
Population growth within China at a
stable rate, which a replacement fertility
level of 2.1 would bring, might actually be
beneficial. The extra man power will be
useful to China, it would mean that
instead of having its population decline
from 1. 341 billion today to 941 million by
21001 as is currently projected there
would be a more stable population which
would result in less problems with an
aging population.2
Other critics question the assertion that
the One-Child policy is effective at
achieving population control in the first
place. Fertility levels dropped between
1970 and 1979 due to government
policies that pushed for later marriages
and fewer births.3 Additionally, economic
growth and social programs are likely to
encourage smaller family sizes -- this
phenomena has been observed in other
countries without similar government
policies.4 In cities and wealthier rural
areas, surveys indicated that women on
average wanted to have fewer than two
children, which is below the "replacement
rate" of 2.1 children per couple.5 It is
difficult to isolate the One-Child policy as
the primary cause of declining birth rates
when other socioeconomic factors also
affect families' decisions.
1

China Population (thousands) Medium

variant 2010-2100, United Nations,

Department of Economic and Social

Affairs, 2010

revision,http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/unp
p/panel_population.htm
2

The most surprising demographic

Given that China is already one of the

biggest contributors to global warming in
the world, the addition of another 250
million people would be catastrophic in the
prevention of damage to the climate.
Ecological damage of this kind has been a
common feature of overpopulated societies,
china included, for centuries. Soil erosion,
depletion of soil nutrients in arable land
and pollution of water sources are already
an increasing problem in China,
desertification for example causes US
$6.5billion of losses to the country each
year.2Further, the strain on Chinese
resources would also be incredible. The
policy also prevents other problems
associated with overpopulation, such as
epidemics and the growth of slums.3 Stable
and balanced population growth requires
that the policy remain in place for the time
being.4
1

"Family Planning in China." Information

Office of the State Council of the People's
Republic of
China. http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ce/cegv/e
ng/bjzl/t176938.htm
2

Peoples Daily, China Faces Challenge

of Desertification, 1 September
2001,http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200
109/01/eng20010901_79027.html
3

Revkin, Andrew. An End to One-Child

Families in China? New York Times.28-022008.http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/20
08/02/28/an-end-to-one-child-families-inchina/
4

Yardley, Jim. "China Sticking with OneChild

Policy." http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/
11/world/asia/11china.html

crisis.The Economist. 05-052011.http://www.economist.com/node/18

651512
3

Feng, Wang. "Can China Afford to

Continue its One-Child Policy?" Analysis
from the East-West Center. No. 77. March
2005. http://www.eastwestcenter.org/file
admin/stored/pdfs/api077.pdf
4

Engelman, Robert. "What happens if

China's 'one child' is left behind?"
Worldwatch Institute. 03-032008. http://www.enn.com/top_stories/ar
ticle/32162
5

The Economist. "The child in time."

10-082010. http://www.economist.com/node/1
6846390
The benefits for women in this situation
could easily be enforced via legislation,
without the need for a one child policy to
begin with. The gain from mothers who
are able to work could easily be replicated
through family planning and a greater
focus on equality between genders in the
country. As it is, the one child policy as
defined in side oppositions case causes
womens rights to be violated and often
results in the deaths of otherwise healthy
baby girls

It is reported that the focus of China on

population control helps provide a better
health services for women and a reduction
in the risks of death and injury associated
with pregnancy. At family planning offices,
women receive free contraception and prenatal classes. Help is provided for pregnant
women to closely monitor their health. In
various places in China, the government
rolled out a Care for Girls programme,
which aims at eliminating cultural
discrimination against girls in rural and
underdeveloped areas through subsidies
and education.
Within many Chinese communities, women
have traditionally been the primary
caregivers for children; however, with
fewer children, they have more time to
invest in their careers, increasing both their
personal earnings and the national GDP.1,2

Family Planning in China. Information

Office of the State Council of the Peoples
Republic of
China. 1995.http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ce/c
egv/eng/bjzl/t176938.htm
2

Taylor, John. China-One Child

Policy,Foreign Correspondent. 02-082005.http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/conten
t/2005/s1432717.htm
The Chinese economy may well have
grown anyway; correlation is not
causation. It was not the one child policy
that has caused Chinas incredible
economic growth but the opening up of
the Chinese economy to the market.
Moreover the economic benefits from the
one child policy do not come without
costs.
An associate professor of economics at
Columbia University, Lena Edlund, found
that a 1% increase in the ratio of males
to females equates to an increase in
violent and property crime of as much as
6%, "suggesting that male sex ratios may
account for 28% to 38% of the rise in
crime.
Further to this, the economic benefits of
the one child policy do not outweigh the
harms to human rights that the one child
policy causes.1
1

One-Child Policy, Chine Crime Rise

Linked by Study. New Yorks Sun. 19-112007.http://www.nysun.com/business/on
e-child-policy-china-crime-rise-linked-bystudy/66657/

The one child policy is economically

beneficial because it allows China to push
its population growth rate well below its
growth rate in GDP.
This has allowed the standard of living in
China for the average Chinese citizen to
improve significantly since the policy was
implemented. Specifically speaking, since
1978 the income of the urban population in
China has increased tenfold. Per capita
housing space has also increased both in
towns and in rural areas allowing Chinese
people to enjoy a higher standard of living.
Further, the individual savings rate has
increased since the introduction of the One
Child Policy. This has been partially
attributed to the policy in two respects.
First, the average Chinese household
expends fewer resources, both in terms of
time and money, on children, which gives
many Chinese more money with which to
invest. Second, since young Chinese can no
longer rely on children to care for them in
their old age, there is an impetus to save
money for the future.
On top of this, the one child policy has also
been instrumental in the eradication of
poverty in China. Often, the greatest
problem with poverty is that families grow

to unsustainably large sizes and as such the

entire family is forced to be hand to mouth.
However, the one child policy prevents this
from happening and as such allows for the
single child to be educated properly without
providing too much strain on the family.
Hence, by improving educational
attainment and by reducing the financial
pressures bearing on poor families, the one
child policy has contributed significantly
to reducing poverty within China.1
1

Family Planning in China. Information

Office of the State Council of the Peoples

Republic of
China. 1995.http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ce/c
egv/eng/bjzl/t176938.htm

Pakiramdam ko dahil sa may money involve sa debate, maaaring lumabas ang mga issues like
CAPACITY to pay ng public, necessity na magbayad, at mga issues ng morality. Consider din
natin ang grounds sa Climate, Populationc Control culure at framework ng general countries at
kagwapuhan ko (LOL).

TEAM KATHNIELs FURTHER READINGS AND RESEARCH MATERIALS

Maka- PropositionEXeses:
"China Says One-Child Policy Helps Protect Climate". Reuters. 30 August 2007
"'One-child' policy aids climate change battle: China". Terra Daily. 11 Mar. 2008
"Family Planning in China". Information Office of the State Council Of the People's
Republic of China. 1995

Maka- Oppositionesese:
China's population: The most surprising demographic crisis." The Economist. May 5th
2011
Brandon Keim. "China: The Wrong Way to Do Population Control". Wired. July 24, 2007
"Report says 100 million Chinese have no siblings". Associated Press. 7 July 2008
Damien McElroy and Olga Craig. "Victims of China's one-child policy find hope".
Telegraph. 19 June 2001
Claudia Joseph. "Babies for sale: The scandal of China's brutal single child policy". 6
Oct. 2007
Heda Bayron. "Experts: China's One-Child Population Policy Producing Socio-Economic
Problems". VOAnews. 7 Mar. 2006
"Can China Afford to Continue Its One-Child Policy?". East West Center. Mar. 2005
"Family Planning in China". Information Office of the State Council Of the People's
Republic of China. 28 Dec. 2004
"China: Human rights violations and coercion in one-child policy enforcement".
HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION. DECEMBER
14, 2004

Alex Massie. "An Increasing Population is a Good Thing. So is Immigration." The

Spectator. May 13th, 2011

PWEDENG INTRO hehe

Since 1979 the Peoples Republic of China has pursued a population control policy that
limits all families in Chinas largest provinces (with some exceptions), to no more than one
child. The Chinese government introduced the policy to alleviate social and environmental
problems that it had determined to be a result of over population. The policy is controversial both
within and outside China for a variety of reasons.
Many consider child-birth to be a sacred, inalienable right of citizens. Others worry about
the economic and social consequences of a policy that will create a more aged population. The
policy is enforced at the provincial level through fines that are imposed based on the income of
the family and other factors. However, there are still many citizens that continue to have more
than one child. In April of 2010, a new Chinese census showed that the population, the world's
largest, rose to 1.34 billion as of last year, from 1.27 billion in 2000. This put its average annual
growth at 0.57% over the decade, down from 1.07 per cent in 1990-2000. It also showed that
people over the age of 60 now account for 13.3 per cent of China's population, compared to
10.3% in 2000. Its reserve of future workers also dwindled; with people under 14 now make up
16.6% of the population, down from 23% 10 years ago. All of this sparked renewed debate on
the subject.1
1

Page, Jeremy, Chinas One-Child Plan Faces New Fire, The Wall Street Journal, 29
April 2011,

GUSTO NIYO VIDEO PAMPAINSPIRE

ETO MGA TEAM KATHNIEL HAHA http://www.allgirlsallowed.org/one-child-policy-statistics

ITO MATINDING LABANAN NA ARTICLE

http://www.unitedexplanations.org/blogs/china/2012/08/28/one-child-policy-in-china-prosand-cons/