September 08, 2004

China, abortion, and choice

People holding a pro-choice viewpoint often talk with praise of China's one-child per family policy. I've always thought that policy was hideous - what business does a government have telling people how big a family they must have? A long time ago, I heard a talk (at a Unitarian church no less, but a very small, libertarian one, the kind they don't have anymore) about family planning, and the speaker said population growth wouldn't be a major problem because population growth would stabilize before Paul Ehrlich's predictions (in The Population Bomb) would come true. This has indeed occured; none of Ehrlich's predictions of catastrophe caused by overpopulation ever came true, and population growth has slowed. In other words, people would solve the problem themselves, without any tyrannical government interference. I thought the speaker had a good point. Trust the people.

Here are two comments I've read on the Internet recently about China and their one-child policy:

China's Missing Women, by Wendy McElroy, for ifeminists.com. McElroy discusses the unintended consequences of China's policy, and how such consequences always arise whenever government tries to control how people behave.

The Forgotten Women, by Steven Ertelt, in National Review. Ertelt criticizes the pro-choice movement for supporting a program which denies choice to its women.

Posted by Joel Fuhrmann at September 8, 2004 09:34 PM
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