After China's Earthquake: Rethinking the One-Child Policy

Posted by: Lauren Young on May 17

Losing a child is every parent’s nightmare.

In China, where schools were among the most damaged buildings as a result of the recent earthquake, those nightmares are playing out by the thousands.

China’s one-child policy has been in place since 1979 to control a booming population. According to this story, the government edict means that more than 400 million births have been prevented. The Chinese government says it has successfully slowed population growth to about 10 million people a year and there is now an average birth rate of 1.8 children per couple in China, compared to six children when it was introduced.

With a wave of international adoptions from China in the past decade, Comic Mom muses whether some people should consider giving their adopted Chinese children back. That’s a radical thought—I’m sure fellow blogger Cathy Arnst will have something to say on that topic.

Last summer, China cracked down on international adoptions, leaving plenty of would-be parents waiting in limbo. I have a childhood friend who has been waiting to adopt from China for nearly two years. She’s on “the list” but now who knows what will happen?

The horrifying images of children being pulled out of the rubble hit close to home, since my husband and I made a decision to have just one child. When I wrote about having one kid, I got a slew of responses from readers. I’d like to hear from you again: With China’s tragedy, are you rethinking your decision to have an only child?

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