Population Control: Preventing Unwanted Pregnancies
opinion Essay
1033 words
Population Control: Preparing for the Future
The world’s population is rising rapidly from seven billion to the estimated nine billion in 2050 (Ellis, Overpopulation is Not the Problem). Every human being adds stress to the Earth’s resources. Numerous places like Africa and China maintain a copious amount starvation and poverty. There are days when people go without food, water, or shelter. There is even such happening in the United States. In such places, it is difficult to find contraception, or birth control, which leads to unplanned pregnancies. These situations are rooted down to overpopulation, which is when there are too many humans. However, there is a multitude of ways to reverse such negative effects. Population control is a necessary act that will benefit the world through sparing natural resources, decreasing famine, and controlling unplanned pregnancies. A worldwide effort would have to take effect in order for a successful future.
China has a list of problems while maintaining one fifth of the world’s population. It covers around the same geographic area as the United States, but has twice the amount of problems, along with five times the amount of people. They have not had a lucrative past, and their future does not either. In order to fix such problems, the Chinese government has taken miniscule actions to further aid their country (Riley, China’s Population).
In the 1940s, China viewed promoting a larger population as a positive improvement for political strength and to improve economic development. Consequently, in the mid-1950s, China realized it “hindered economic development.” They then concluded the government of China must regulate population control in order to solve a majority of their problems (Rile...
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... that the world can equally sustain each and every human. Population control is the key to a future containing a plethora of resources being distributed to each human, including less starvation and jocular lives.
Works Cited
Ellis, Erle C. “Overpopulation Is Not the Problem.” International Herald Tribune 16 Sep. 2013: 6. SIRS Researcher. Web. 5 Mar. 2014. .
Navarro, Mireya. “Breaking a Long Silence on Population Control.” New York Times 31 Oct. 2011. Web. 5 Mar. 2014. .
Pflanz, Mike. “Africa’s Baby-Boom: Population to Double by Mid-Century.” Christian Science Monitor 12 Sep. 2013: n. pag. SIRS Researcher. Web. 5 Mar. 2014. .
Riley, Nancy E. “China’s Population: New Trends and Challenges.” Population Reference Bureau June 2004: 3-36. SIRS Researcher. Web. 5 Mar. 2014. .
In this essay, the author
- Opines that population control is a necessary act that will benefit the world through sparing natural resources, decreasing famine, and controlling unplanned pregnancies.
- Explains that china has a list of problems while maintaining one fifth of the world’s population.
- Explains that in the 1940s, china viewed promoting a larger population as positive improvement for political strength and to improve economic development.
- Explains that since the 1980s, china created law that differs from normal life in the united states. the law restricts a couple to only conceiving one child.
- Explains that the chinese government has made contraception, public health care, and additional types of birth control more tangible to those who could not afford it.
- Analyzes how poverty and famine overwhelm the country. deforestation takes away precious land from wildlife, and food from humans.
- Explains that pollution, desertification, population growth, and food consumption will affect the future. populations in africa are skyrocketing past the lands limit.
- Opines that population control is necessary in order to eliminate hunger and poverty, not because of abhorring a huge population.
- Explains that industrialization has caused excess air pollution and has led to health problems in china as well as other countries.
- Opines that countries should reduce car travel and make homes more efficient in order to solve countless problems throughout the world. the earth will soon be pushed to its maximum capacity.
- Opines that population control is the key to a future containing less starvation and jocular lives.
- Opines that overpopulation is not the problem, and navarro, mireya, pflanz, mike.
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- The One Child Policy in Chinaanalytical essayOnce China’s population began to grow at an exponential rate the government feared that there would eventually be social unrest, and chaos. This social unrest and chaos would eventually cause an internal crisis for the country. At that time, China’s leaders believed that population control was one of its top priorities because it was precondition for the coun...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how china's one child policy has caused corruption, abuse of women’s rights, high rates of female feticide, gender ratio problems, and specific problems associated with both the elderly and younger generation.
- Explains that the people's republic of china started to promote the use of birth control in 1962, and in 1979, the government decided to implement a one child policy.
- Explains that china's leaders believed that population control was one of their top priorities because it was precondition for the country’s future success.
- Explains that china's one-child policy has been relaxed, but it does not mean that family planning will no longer exist.
- Explains that china's government felt that means justify the ends of the policy. the policy prevented 400 million births, saving china from an "explosive population."
- Explains that china's one child policy means different things for different categories of citizens. the rich see the law as a "paper tiger" whereas the poor see it as "flesh and blood."
- Describes the social problems created by china's one child policy, including corruption, abuse of women’s rights, female feticide, imbalance in the gender ratio, and potential problems with both senior and youth populations.
- Explains that the chinese government has collected an estimated $320 billion in "social compensation fees" since the start of the one child policy in 1979.
- Explains that the bureaucracy benefits from the assessment of fees because large amounts of revenue end up in the pockets of bureaukrats instead of china's treasury.
- Analyzes the abuse of women's rights caused by the one child policy. the chinese government asserts that the policy has had positive effects on women.
- Explains that although china states that there are positive effects of the one child policy on women's lives, they also have many negative effects.
- Explains that 336 million abortions and 222 million sterilizations have been carried out since 1979 in china. many are performed without consent as late as eight months into pregnancy.
- Explains that many so-called "family-planning fugitives" have to flee their village to give birth to a second or third child. these terrible conditions have caused the female population in china to have one of the highest suicide rates in the world.
- Explains that baby girls are also suffering because of what is being called "female feticide" or "gendercide".
- Explains that gendercide can be traced back to chinese culture because it places a higher value on the lives of boys as opposed to that of girls.
- Explains that girls are left outside to die, not fed, and are not treated if they have a medical problem. future generations are also lost due to infant mortality and female feticide.
- Explains that china's one child policy has caused a large imbalance between the sexes, with 32 million more males than females in china.
- Estimates that by 2030, more than 25 percent of chinese men in their late 30s will never have married. the undereducated poor population will lose out on competition for brides.
- Explains that the one child policy has led to an increase in human trafficking in china. kidnapped women are sold to men in less populated areas who would not be able to find a wife otherwise.
- Argues that the one child policy has created problems associated with china's elderly population, such as labor shortages and birth rates being lower than the population replacement rate.
- Argues that the chinese government has taken note of the potential problems the one child policy has created within the elderly population.
- Explains that china's birthrate isn't high enough to meet the population replacement rate. the elderly population will continue to face problems even if the one child policy is ended.
- Explains that the one child policy has created a generation of spoiled children and males have the potential to cause society problems due to unrest.
- Explains that china has basically forbidden children to grow up with siblings, which could lead to a generation of entitled and children who lack the ability to get along with others.
- Explains that the chinese culture places a high value on family and marriage. due to the gender ratio, there are many men who will never be able to find partners.
- Explains that the one child policy is important to the united states for several reasons, including the nation's commitment to making sure that all countries of the world are respecting human rights, and keeping a watchful eye on the stability of china’s government.
- Opines that the united states needs to keep a close eye on china's one child policy because it is "being exported"
- Opines that the united states needs to watch the one child policy because of the dissatisfaction on young men that never get married.
- Concludes that china's one child policy has affected chinese society in multiple ways. the benefits of population control outweigh the problems it has created.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that the people's republic of china experienced a population explosion after world war ii that sent its population doubling to 550 million in 1950.
- Compares china's population density with the united states', stating that china has more people than any other country.
- Explains that the zhuang ethnic group, the largest of the 55 ethnic groups, has 15.556 million people, while the lhoba has only 2,322.
- Explains that china's limited natural and economic resources pose a threat to the population.
- Explains that the chinese government acted forcefully to reduce the number of children in china by legislating family planning to control population growth.
- Explains that china's population reproduction has realized low birth rates, low death rates and low growth rates since the family planning program was initiated in the 1970s.
- Analyzes how the communist party's one-child policy has sparked major controversies in human rights issues across the world. the chinese preferred male children over females because of cultural tradition.
- Opines that despite recent increases, china maintains a lower natural increase rate into the 21st century. after years of intensive educational programs, many chinese have accepted the benefits of family planning.
- Introduces james m. rubenstein, an introduction to human geography, 5th ed., new jersey: prentice hall, 1996.
- Cites xiao zili, "integration of population with development: china's practice," china population today, august 1994.
- Cites michael palmer's article, "the re-emergence of family law in post-mao china: marriage, divorce and reproduction."
- Cites the center for reproductive law and policy, inc., "women of the world," http://www.echonyc.com/jmkm/wotw/china
- Cites palmer, m., "the re-emergence of family law in post-mao china: marriage, divorce and reproduction."
- Explains rubenstein, j. m., an introduction to human geography, 5th ed.
1846 wordsRead More - One Child Policyanalytical essaySince China has about 1.3 billion people and the population continues to grow, there needs to be a plentiful amount of resources, such as food. According to the CIA world fact book, China also has the 163rd highest birth rate at 12.17 babies per 100 people, therefore there are roughly 16,851,738 babies born everyday in China. The birthrate is also higher than the death rate at 7.14 since 2011, meaning even more people. And all these people need resources such as food and water. On average, urban Chinese consumers spend 36% of their money on food and there are 300 million farmers in China. According to the Chinese government, China also ranks first in worldwide farm output. Though it ranks first, there is alw...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that china accounts for 19.3% of the world's population. mao proposed birth control in 1957 and the one child policy was officially implemented in 1979.
- Explains that china has the 163rd highest birth rate at 12.17 babies per 100 people, which means more people need resources such as food and water. if the one child policy is demolished, there will be less to provide for.
- Explains that the one child policy regulates money, keeping china in check to see if they really need to spend too much.
- Explains that china has the 163rd highest birth rate at 12.17 babies per 100 people, which means more people need resources such as food and water. if the one child policy is demolished, there will be less to provide for.
- Explains that the one child policy regulates money, keeping china in check to see if they really need to spend too much.
- Argues that the one child policy should continue to exist for china to thrive, though others don't support it.
- Opines that the one child policy should exist for china to thrive, though others don't support it.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that the world's population is approaching 7 billion and is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050.
- Analyzes how furedi believes too much human life around killing the planet is an increasingly popular idea encouraged by population control groups.
- Compares ehrlich and furedi's views on population growth and terrorism.
- Argues that while baird and ehrlich see benefits to family planning, furedi disagrees with the concerns of an ageing population.
1435 wordsRead More - China's One Child Policyexplanatory essay...the horrific effect that the One Child Policy has had upon the Chinese people and its devastation to basic human rights. But it’s the policy’s unintended economic consequences that are now precipitating change. With so few children, China is rapidly aging. Its population over the age of 65 is soaring, and at one of the fastest rates in the world. The International Monetary Fund warns that China’s work force will soon fall into “precipitous decline.” It predicts a labor shortage of almost 140 million workers by early 2030, with “far-reaching implications.”6
In this essay, the author
- Explains china's one child policy is a prime example of what can happen when humans reduce other humans to faceless numbers.
- Explains that the one child policy was created after chairman mao launched a campaign to encourage families to have more children, leading to 30 million dying of man-made famine.
- Explains that the one-child policy restricts the majority of chinese families to one child each. the chinese government uses a quota reward system for planning officials who carry out the birth control policies.
- Explains that the one child policy has prevented over 400 million births, performed 196 million surgical sterilizations, and inserted 403 million iud's (intrauterine devices).
- Explains that china's one child policy has led to abortions of females and the killing of baby girls post-partum.
- Explains that in china, the boy to girl birth ratio has been as high as 150 to 100, leading to a boom in the mail order bride business and prostitution.
- Opines that the reduction of mankind in china from imago dei to a producer for the state has been devastating the natural family.
- Opines that china's unintended economic consequences are precipitating change. with so few children, china is rapidly aging. the international monetary fund predicts a labor shortage of almost 140 million workers by early 2030.
- Opines that reform or elimination of this abhorrent social policy based on humanitarian reasons would be a wonderful step forward for the chinese communist party.
863 wordsRead More - One Child Policy Essayexplanatory essayBy 1980, although the birthrate in China has fallen to below 3 children per family, it was believed by a new regime of Chinese leaders which included Deng Xiao Ping, that forced and restricted population growth would lead to greater economic prosperity. This coercive policy influenced the family of the Chinese citize...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the one child policy in china and the abuse of women by the government for having too many babies.
- Introduces china's one-child policy, which was introduced 35 years ago on september 25, 1979, by the chinese communist party.
- Explains that mao zedong's great leap forward campaign in the 1950s led to a food insufficiency which resulted in 30 million people dying from famine.
- Explains that a new regime of chinese leaders including deng xiao ping believed that forced and restricted population growth would lead to greater economic prosperity.
- Explains that the restriction of the one child policy limits the majority of chinese families to one child each. without a birth permit, fines can reach several times the average annual income.
- Explains that the chinese government uses a quota reward system for planning officials who carry out the birth control policies to enforce the one-child policy.
- Explains that a trend of giving away babies for adoption online has been circulating around china. the convenience of user can share detail anonymously have been increasing the numbers of such activities.
- Explains that china's imbalanced sex ratio will cause 30 million men unable to find a wife by 2030 even though female infanticide and under-reporting of female children are on the decline.
- Explains that the chinese government has loosened the enforcement of the policy by allowing families in rural areas to have two children if the first child is a girl or disabled.
- Explains the pros and cons of the one child policy, stating that it released china from the burden of overpopulation that hindered economic growth.
- Explains that one-child policy was introduced in 1979 and constricted chinese couples to have only one child. however, in rural areas, some families can have a second child if both parents are the only child or the first child is disabled.
878 wordsRead More - Chinese Women and the Impact of the One-Child Policyopinion essayIn communist China, prior to the population boom, more people meant more manpower to create more economic prospects for the communist nation. The communist government condemned birth control and banned imports of contraceptives (Attane, 2002). Lack of birth control, and government encouragement led China into a time of vast population increase. Hundreds of millions of extra children were born in a baby boom that sent the birth rate soaring to 5.8 children per couple, a level considered unsustainable (Cai & Lavely, 2003). With an increasingly growing population, food sources began to become depleted, and soon it became clear that the rate of reproduction needed to be decreased. To begin, government propaganda cropped up, pushing the sloga...
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the one-child policy has contributed to the nation's unnatural gender imbalance, as couples use legal and illegal means to ensure that their only child is a son.
- Explains that in communist china, more people meant more manpower to create economic prospects. lack of birth control, and government encouragement led to a time of vast population increase.
- Opines that the one-child policy is gravely concerning because of the pressure of only having one child, coupled with a cultural favoritism toward males.
- Explains that the one-child policy is meant to be a standardized way to implement the government’s birth limitation goals, but it is not consistently or always justly enforced.
- Explains that the practice of female infanticide was resumed in some areas shortly after the one-child policy went into effect. china has the world's highest rate for homicides of girls aged 0–4.
- Explains that chinese families in rural areas may have placed greater value on sons because male labor was more useful on farms. women in china have traditionally held little economic value, making female offspring less valuable.
- Explains that female infanticide is not the only issue causing lower rates of girls than boys in china. china banned prenatal sex screening in 1994, but it was difficult to ensure that these gender-selective abortions were not occurring.
- Opines that while gender-selective abortions are illegal, there is little stopping chinese couples from providing better care to male offspring, which inadvertently increases female infant mortality rates
- Argues that the imbalanced male-female ratio is significant in an overwhelming majority of china, leading to human trafficking and higher prostitution rates.
- Estimates that the percentage of people aged 60 or older in china will rise from 7 percent now to 11.8 percent in 2020. with only one child to each family to care for their aging parents, the younger generations face economic strain.
- Analyzes the negative effects of the one-child policy on chinese women in regard to health care before, during, and after pregnancy.
- Opines that the one-child policy should be altered to allow chinese families to have two approved births without having to pay any sort of fee.
- Opines that china will not alter its one-child policy, but it will reconsider it. propaganda posters with positive messages about female children encourage families to keep their female offspring.
- Opines that the amendments would correct many of the problems stemming from the one-child policy, but it would not necessarily correct the imbalanced sex-ratio, or the issues of sexual-selective abortion.
- Opines that the one-child policy is overwhelmingly harmful to women and children. more needs to be done to encourage families to have more female children and raise the status of women in general.
2869 wordsRead More - Population Control in Chinaopinion essayXiaokang, Su; Xue, Yuan. “The humanitarian and technical dilemmas of population control in China.” Journal of International Affairs, Winter 96
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how vigilantes abduct pregnant women on the streets and haul them off, sometimes handcuffed or trussed, to abortion clinics. china's population control is cruel and against human rights.
- Explains that mao zedong feared war with the united states or the soviet union. deng xiaoping saw the problem in the population explosion and invented the one-child family in 1979.
- Explains why the one-child policy worked in cities and not in rural areas. the imbalance between men and women is already high.
- Explains how china enforces its one-child policy by paying informants to report unauthorized pregnancies of women.
- Opines that china uses coercion to enforce the one-child family. china and the united nations population fund signed a new four-year agreement.
- Explains how china punishes families who don't stick to its one-child policy.
- Describes the positive aspects of china's one-child policy, including its reduction of population growth, and its chance to improve its economic position in the world.
- Opines that westerners see the violation of human rights as a matter of conscience, and the one-child family brings another problem with it.
- Opines that western countries should help china realize that the one-child policy will not help to decrease the population considerably, because there will always be families who do not care about the policy.
- Argues that china should be educated about the one-child family, since it is hard to supply food for all people if its population continues to grow so fast.
- Opines that china will continue to enforce its effective family planning policy in the new century in order to create a favorable environment for further development.
- Explains that xiaokang, su, and yuan, 'the humanitarian and technical dilemmas of population control in china'.
- Explains graham, hutchings, modern china: a guide to a century of change.
1705 wordsRead More - China’s population growth began to increase during the Ming Dynasty, and increased dramatically throughout Qing. The population grew around 65million in the late 14th century to more than 400 million in 1949 (Spengler 1962: 112). Since the People Republic of China was founded, Mao had seen the population growth as favorable to industrialization, and he believed that population growth empowered the country (Potts 2006). In the 1950s, the government began to realize that the food supply would soon become insufficient for the rapidly growing population, and stopped encouraging people to have more children through propaganda posters. In the beginning of the 1970s, the government launched the “Later, Longer, Fewer” campaign. It encourage couples to marry at a later age, have 4-8 years break from the first child’s birth before having the second child, and couples were encouraged to have only 2 children (Greenhalgh 2008: 49). In 1979, the one-child policy was implemented to further control the population growth.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that china's population growth began during the ming dynasty, and increased dramatically throughout qing.
- Explains the impact of the one-child policy on china's current gender imbalance.
- Explains that selective abortion accounted for a large proportion of decline in female birth, and it was highly related to one-child policy and son preference.
- Argues that the one-child policy has contributed to negative socio-economic effects, but it has helped to control the population growth.
- Cites bongaarts, j., and greenhalgh, s. 1985. an alternative to the one-child policy in china.
- Explains that zhang, c. and barreda, d. m. 2013. hip, young, and wired: china's 'diaosi'.
- Explains that the one-child policy restricted most families from having more than one child, and couples had to get permission from the head of their work unit before having a child.
- Explains that the one-child policy was to reduce the fertility rate in order to improve the living standards of the people.
- Argues that the rapid decline in fertility rate has created severe socio-economic problems. the one-child policy has increased the ratio of rural children to urban children, and encouraged the exploitative relationship between the city and countryside.
- Explains that the unbalanced sex ratio has led to social unrest, as 30 million unmarried men in 2020 will be depressed and participate in anti-social activities.
- Cites davies, leung, luk, s. t., and wong, y. 1995. the benefits of "guanxi": the value of relationships in developing the chinese market.
- Cites greenhalgh, roy, gu, feng, zhigang, erli, and hesketh.
- Evaluates the effectiveness of china's one-child policy, including its unbalanced sex ratio, millions of excess bachelors, and societal implications.
- Explains that china's one-child policy is based on studies in family planning, including south, trent, and spengler.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that china's population has shifted drastically over the past century resulting in ongoing issues that greatly impact the people of china beyond visually troubling demographics.
- Explains that the worker - retiree imbalance has plagued china. the falling fertility due to the government influence has made it more appealing to continue working and having few children later on.
- Analyzes how the one child policy has intertwined with the traditional values making a large imbalance of females and males.
- Opines that china's one child policy was a bad idea because fertility rates were already dropping, leading to an aging population and dwindling workforce.
- Concludes that the one child policy was clearly a bad idea with too many negatives outweighing the few positives.
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