MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Chinese couples allowed to have a second child; policy was imposed in 1979 to slow population growth
The policy is estimated to have prevented about 400 million births. However concerns at China's ageing population led to pressure for change. 
The decision on two children a family was designed ”to improve the balanced development of population'' said the Community Party's Central Committee 
Currently about 30% of China's population is over the age of 50. The total population of the country is around 1.36 billion. China has decided to end its decades-long one-child policy, the state-run Xinhua news agency reports. Couples will now be allowed to have two children, it said, citing a statement from the Communist Party. The controversial policy was introduced nationally in 1979, to slow the population growth rate.
It is estimated to have prevented about 400 million births. However concerns at China's ageing population led to pressure for change. Couples who violated the one-child policy faced a variety of punishments, from fines and the loss of employment to forced abortions.
Over time, the policy has been relaxed in some provinces, as demographers and sociologists raised concerns about rising social costs and falling worker numbers
The decision to allow families to have two children was designed ”to improve the balanced development of population'' and to deal with an aging population, according to the statement from the Community Party's Central Committee carried by the official Xinhua News Agency on Thursday.
Currently about 30% of China's population is over the age of 50. The total population of the country is around 1.36 billion.
The Communist Party began formally relaxing national rules two years ago, allowing couples in which at least one of the pair is an only child to have a second child.
The policy was introduced in 1979 and meant that many Chinese citizens, around a third claimed in 2007 - could not have a second child without incurring a fine. However in rural families were allowed to have two children if the first was a girl.
Other exceptions included ethnic minorities and - since 2013 - couples where at least one was a single child. Campaigners claim the policy led to forced abortions, female infanticide, and the under-reporting of female births, and it was also implicated as a cause of China's gender imbalance
Correspondents say that despite the relaxation of the rules, many couples may opt to only have one child, as one-child families have become the social norm.
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Read all comments'Forced abortions' are carried out up to the birth of the baby and the head crown at which time a 'doctor' plunges a syringe full of formaldehyde into the brain to kill it.
Oct 30th, 2015 - 06:22 pm 0The Chin claim that a baby who has not yet drawn its first breath is NOT A PERSON and therefore NOT HUMAN.
Despicable people reminiscent of the attitude Josef Mengele had.
BUT, and there's always a but, it seems the policy has fucked China up well and truly with not enough women to 'satisfy' the males thus reducing further the imbalance between the sexes and still failing to replace what is being lost.
GOOD!
WELL,
Oct 30th, 2015 - 07:37 pm 0theirs plenty of female immigrants roaming abt....
@1 ChrisR
Oct 31st, 2015 - 04:02 pm 0This was always going to be a problem for China, and is also a problem for India too, because in both countries male children are preferred.
The decline in population has finally filtered through to the Chinese Communist elite. They've suddenly realised that soon there won't be enough people to work in their factories, to serve in their military, and to support the ageing population.
Both countries now have a reduce number of females, hence not enough women to men ratio (when in most countries it is nearer 50-50, usually with slightly more females), and therefore not enough births, so a declining birthrate, followed by the ending of many 'family' lines.
These misogynist societies fail to realise that women are vital to the survival of the human race. After all one man can impregnate many women, but many men can't impregnate one woman.
And given the recent advances in science, men may end up being completely redundant in the reproduction of the species, especially now that scientists have successfully fertilised an egg with another egg. This can only produce females, but technically sperm (therefore the men) will be no longer required!
I wonder if this will turn out to be too little too late for China? Only time will tell, I suppose.
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