More good news for rights

MSNBC: China may ease one-child rule

China's long-standing one-child per family rule may be coming to an end.  The rule, meant to curb China's ever-growing population, has led to sterilization, forced abortions, and infanticide.  However, officials have noted that the policy may actually create a people shortage in the future, particularly noting a shortage of women.  While nothing has been made official, there are discussions to 'refine' the policy without fully disbanding it.

The policy, particularly in rural areas, has not been strictly followed, with many rural families having two (occasionally more) children.  Also, in areas where the one-child policy is strictly followed, it comes to the detriment to females.  The Chinese culture greatly favors males over females, and therefore sons over daughters.  In previous eras, this meant wide infanticide of newborn girls.  Now, with more advanced technology that can determine the sex of a fetus before birth, this means aborting female fetuses.

Ignoring all of the ethical issues that comes with aborting females or committing infanticide, this targeting of girls means that there will be a much smaller female population than the male population.  From a purely logistical standpoint, having a massively huge gap between the female and male populations means that there will be less women for men to marry, thereby reducing future populations (less women=less babies).  According to the article, the Chinese government has also realized this by reconsidering their policy.

This potential reversing of the one-child policy will be a great victory for women's rights and reproductive rights.  Too often do other people insert themselves into the very private issue of women and reproduction, particularly when it comes to government policies.  Although there will still be the need to overcome spousal interference, eliminating a cap on children (and therefore on a woman's reproductive system) will hopefully lead to increased women's liberation in other areas of life as well.