Free Essay

Population

In: Social Issues

Submitted By rockwang415
Words 1053
Pages 5
Hi Darryl,
Would you please review our debate statement?

Opening statement:
We believe that China should give up the one-child policy. The disadvantages of China’s one child policy are many. It has caused appalling human rights abuses in China, including forcible abortions and sterilizations. Since the policy went into effect, China has had a significant gender imbalance, an abnormal sex ratio. China’s rapidly aging population—combined with lower fertility rates—is expected to present significant social and economic challenges. It also brings other problems, for example, the "four-two-one" problem and unequal enforcement.
Argument 0: One-child policy benefits exaggerated
The government states that 400 million births were prevented by the one-child policy until 2011; this claim is disputed as official propaganda by Wang Feng, director of the Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy, and Cai Yong from the Carolina Population Center at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, who put the number of prevented births from 1979 to 2009 at around 100 or 200 million.
Argument 1: Low fertility rate can’t maintain the sustainable development of society.
According to the sixth census population, currently one couple only has 1.2 children on average. In cities, the number is less than 0.9. Even for people from countryside, it is 1.5. Under ideal mathematic model, the fertility rate should be 2.1. The 1.2 fertility rate means the number of population decrease 40% every generation. The low fertility rate can’t maintain the sustainable development of society.
According to the experience in other developed countries, it is almost impossible that the fertility rate will increase after the transition from high to low.
Argument 2: Governor is loosening its grips.
Among several small relaxations and hints of change, in March 2011, the government said it would consider allowing couples to have a second child
On Aug 20th 2013, the National Health and Family Planning Commission is considering improving the family planning policy.
Argument 3: Rapidly aging population & workforce challenges.
China’s average age will continue to grow dramatically. China’s median age was 32 in 2005. By 2050, that figure will leap to around 45, with a quarter of the population over 65. As a result, China will see a drastic change in their labor force: In 2007, China had six adults of working age for every retiree, but by 2040 that ratio is expected to drop to 2 to 1.
It will weaken the innovation of Chinese economy in future. Japan is an example; fewer children and aging society are the long term factors which limit the recovery of economy in Japan.
Argument 4: Female infanticide and gender imbalance
Another effect of the one-child policy, in a society that values sons over daughters, has been to encourage sex-selective abortion and female infanticide. By 2020, there will be about 40 million Chinese men unable to marry, because too few girls will have been born.
In most countries, males slightly outnumber females - between 103 and 107 male births for every 100 female births. But in China there are now 120 male to 100 female births.
Argument 5: The practices in four cities have proved that allow second child will not cause population booming.
Also since the mid 1980s, China’s leaders have been running a two-child experiment in four cities. In 2010, a Chinese newspaper revealed the results, after 25 years those population grew 5 percentage points more slowly than the rest of China. Its gender ratios were at the natural norm at 106 males to females. These examples prove that Chinese people, when economic development is optimum actually choose to have fewer children. This is in line with experiences in the developed World; all the developed nations are in the lower part of the list, producing many fewer children than poorer countries.
Argument 6: Allowing second child means return reproductive rights to citizens.
The one-child policy is challenged in principle and in practice for violating a human right to determine the size of one's own family. According to a 1968 proclamation of the International Conference on Human Rights, "Parents have a basic human right to determine freely and responsibly the number and the spacing of their children.
From the view of law, the citizen's bearing right is a basic human right. Allowing second child doesn’t encourage citizens to have a second child; it just returns the right back to citizens.
Argument 7: four-two-one problem
In short, one unintended but significant result of the One Child Policy is that it has eliminated the traditional support system of the extended family. Instead, the heavy burden will fall on the shoulder of only-children, who in many cases, will need to care for his/her parents in addition to four grandparents. The Chinese refer to this reverse-pyramid social phenomenon as the “four-two-one” problem.
Rebuttal Argument 1:
As long as the science technology is improving, the people can live on the earth will be more and more, and moreover, the living standard is higher than before. We can see that from the history of human being. That is because the value a person can bring is greater than what he/she consumes.
Rebuttal Argument 2:
For example, the total grain yield is 113 million tons in 1949; however, the number is increased to 508 million in 1999.
Rebuttal Argument 3: the relationship between population and economy, resource
No evidence shows that economy boom is related to resource bottom. Korea, Israel and Japan, which are lack of resource, are pretty good in economy.
Rebuttal Argument 4:
If a family knows that they can't afford good education for their second child then they should not have the second child at all. What China need is better family planning center to let couples know if having more child is supportable or not. China should definitely loose the genocidal one child policy law.
Closing statement:
Above all, the one-child policy violates the human rights, speed up aging population. Whether an ageing China can be a rising China will be decided by the actions made by the government and their ability to adapt to the new situation. The positive impact of the OCP(One-Child-Policy) is coming to an end, it is time to give up the one child policy.

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