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[h=4]China scraps controversial one-child policy; couples can have two[/h]The decision was made "to improve the balanced development of (China's) population."
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After more than three decades of imposing a limit of one child per family, China is allowing all couples to have two children.
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China announced the end of its hugely controversial one-child policy on Oct. 29.(Photo: AFP, Getty Images)
BEIJING —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>More than 30<span style="color: Red;">*</span>years after China imposed its controversial “one-child” policy, Beijing's ruling Communist Party brought the program to an end Thursday, saying all couples would now be allowed to have two children.
The decision to remove the restrictions limiting most couples to a single child<span style="color: Red;">*</span>was made "to improve the balanced development of (China's) population," the party said in an<span style="color: Red;">*</span>official<span style="color: Red;">*</span>communique distributed<span style="color: Red;">*</span>by the state-run<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Xinhua News Agency.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The announcement came as the party wrapped up a Beijing<span style="color: Red;">*</span>meeting about China's development<span style="color: Red;">*</span>plans for the next five years.
The restrictions<span style="color: Red;">*</span>were introduced in 1980<span style="color: Red;">*</span>to aggressively cap<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the number of children Chinese couples could<span style="color: Red;">*</span>have in an attempt to reduce the burden on resources amid the country's rapidly expanding population.
USA TODAY
Change in China's one-child policy unlikely to bring population boom
But in recent years the policy has been<span style="color: Red;">*</span>gradually relaxed as the country<span style="color: Red;">*</span>has experienced three decades of economic growth<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and struggles<span style="color: Red;">*</span>with an aging population.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Younger generations also feel less compelled to accept high levels of state involvement in their private lives.
Within<span style="color: Red;">*</span>minutes,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the news went viral on social media.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Many were unhappy with the change, saying they were now too old or poor to have a second child, while some noted they didn't<span style="color: Red;">*</span>support the shift because it could mean more damage to the environment and a greater drain on social services.
“I still remember the day 20 years ago, when some officials from local government grabbed me like a criminal and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>forced me to get my tubes tied. Now, the day I can have the second child has finally come, but I am too old. I am so sad!” said a 50-year-old Sina Weibo user — China's equivalent to Twitter<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>by the name of "Jang-Soyeon."
Others were excited the change had finally been made.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>A user named "Aiyichupin,"<span style="color: Red;">*</span>29, from Beijing, took to the micro-blogging service to say that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the "government<span style="color: Red;">*</span>should have abandoned the insane one-child policy years ago. The day has finally come.”
USA TODAY
Key events in China's family-planning policy
The United Nations estimates that as a result of China's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>falling birth rate its population will age faster than many other developing countries, and the decline will not stabilize before the middle of the 21st century.
Within seven years, India's population (now 1.3 billion) is expected to surpass China's (currently 1.4 billion), according to the U.N.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>China<span style="color: Red;">*</span>is currently the world's most populous nation.
China announced in 2013 that couples could have two children if one of the parents was a single child.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>In Beijing, more than 53,000 couples applied to have a second child after the capital city altered its one-child policy early last year, Xinhua reported. Of those, 48,392 couples were approved.
China maintains its<span style="color: Red;">*</span>one-child policy led to 400 million fewer births and lifted millions out of poverty because of the lighter demand on resources. However, some researchers say its<span style="color: Red;">*</span>birthrate would have fallen anyway as China’s economy developed and education levels rose, pushing more women into the workforce.
Hjelmgaard reported from Berlin.
USA TODAY
Chinese face single parent barriers
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