China has decided to end its controversial one-child policy.
The news came out of the blue yesterday, with China’s state-run Xinhua news agency announcing that all couples will now be allowed to have a maximum of two children.
The move will almost certainly result in the birth of more baby girls, since girls were more likely to be aborted under the one-child policy. It may also put an end to some of the forced sterilizations of young women in China.
The one-child policy was designed to slow population growth in China but resulted in a lop-sided population, with vastly more men than women.
The BBC reports that couples who violated the one-child policy faced a variety of punishments, including forced abortions. Human rights groups have long reported on women forced to abort their second child, well into pregnancy, and then being forcibly sterilized.
The BBC says “concerns at China’s ageing population” led to pressure for change. The huge number of bachelor men in China unable to find wives also played a role.
The one-child policy has also left adult single children with the burden of caring for two elderly parents.
