Is it time the west took action against China's 'one-child policy'?

My name is URL · 04-10-2013 07:21PM #1

http://news.sky.com/story/1150016/china-couple-speak-of-forced-abortion

A couple have told Sky News how they were physically forced into an abortion by the Chinese authorities, three months before their child was due to be born.

At 4am last Friday, a group of 20 officials from the Shandong Province Family Planning Commission forced their way into the home of Zhou Guoqiang and his wife Liu Xinwen.

The officials kicked down the door of the family's home. Mr Zhou was held down while his wife was pulled from her bed and taken away.

Liu Xinwen, 33, was taken to the People's Hospital of Fangzi District in Weifang City where she was injected with an abortion-inducing drug.

This is obviously nothing new for china, but how long is the Western world willing to stand by and accept this as agreeable policy for a potential global superpower? Nations have been hit with sanctions etc for a lot less.

Is it time for us to do something about this barbaric practice?

Eight Ball · 04-10-2013 07:23PM

No. It's none of our business.

Daniel2590 · 04-10-2013 07:26PM

Well when you consider they have over a billion people.. Yeah sure lets let the families have 4/5 kids, sure what's the harm!

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo · 04-10-2013 07:28PM

I think Ireland should unilaterally declare war on the nuclear armed 5 million strong Chinese army. If we pray everyday to Jesus and squeeze each others hands really hard with our eyes closed singing Wolfetones tunes I think, in fact, I know, we can defeat these people.

BRING IT ON!!!

_Redzer_ · 04-10-2013 07:28PM

The world is so fucked up in so many different ways and it's hard to interfere lot of the time without a massive war, so I don't know what to think. I believe a fine to anyone who has more than one child is the only way to go, abortion at 6 months is fucking nuts!

There are a billion people in China, I agree with them putting a limit on families, but I think 2-3 children should be allowed. I also think our global population should be limited to that number because there's so many of us, it's not just me picking on China.

kneemos · 04-10-2013 07:28PM

Thought they were abandoning the idea due to their aging population and scarcity of females.

reach for the stars · 04-10-2013 07:29PM

Shag all the west could do about it .They are a superpower and are bankrolling half the world.

Jonny7 · 04-10-2013 07:29PM

It's been around since the 70's, not much can be done really.

BBDBB · 04-10-2013 07:30PM

depends..........how much oil do they have?

MadYaker · 04-10-2013 07:34PM

The Americans should invade.

My name is URL · 04-10-2013 07:36PM

Eight Ball wrote: »

No. It's none of our business.

Pull over the curtains and pretend it's not happening then... back to the insular Ireland of the 50's with us!

Jonny7 wrote: »

It's been around since the 70's, not much can be done really.

Well, that's an awfully defeatist mindset you have there! Is there some sort of statute of limitation which applies to violent abuses of human rights? If such barbaric things become 'tradition' then there's no point in trying to change things?

I know you don't feel that way because you often partake in discussion about 'traditionalist' human rights abuses elsewhere.

BrokenArrows · 04-10-2013 07:44PM

Yes its a terrible thing that some families are forced to have an abortion.
But everyone knows the rules.
Contraception is available.
Permanent solutions are available.

So no. The west should not get involved because we don't have the right.

Benny_Cake · 04-10-2013 07:45PM

It's a really ugly policy. I'm at a loss as to what can be done about it though. Two positives: It's a lot more difficult to cover stuff like this up in China now. Also, the policy will probably be significantly relaxed if not done away with in the next few years as China's population growth has stabilised.

Doesn't help this unfortunate couple, though.

snubbleste · 04-10-2013 07:45PM

Imagine if China had not introduced the one child policy 40 years ago, you'd be looking at serious problems today not just in China but globally.
There is only so many resources in the world and there is only so many humans the planet can support.

jimmytwotimes 2013 · 04-10-2013 07:48PM

this policy is China's business and nobody else's to be honest. Unless the west is offering to feed the extra population it should butt out.

the west has plenty of problems closer to home that it could concentrate on.

MOC88 · 04-10-2013 07:49PM

My name is URL wrote: »

http://news.sky.com/story/1150016/china-couple-speak-of-forced-abortion

This is obviously nothing new for china, but how long is the Western world willing to stand by and accept this as agreeable policy for a potential global superpower? Nations have been hit with sanctions etc for a lot less.

Is it time for us to do something about this barbaric practice?

They are a superpower just by strength of numbers - once they have their first aircraft carrier they'll be global.

What practical sanctions do you suggest btw?

hfallada · 04-10-2013 07:58PM

It's one of the reasons why the Chinese economy has been totally transformed. People only have a child therefore they can actually financial support it

Look at Africa which could do with a one child's policy. People in Uganda having 6/7 children and can't afford to support one of them. But the west steps in and supports their choice to have a half dozen children. Africa might have had some serious economic growth if they could support themselves.

pedanticpat · 04-10-2013 08:02PM

No, it's overpopulated enough. Leave them be.

vitani · 04-10-2013 08:03PM

Just an idle thought, but I take it there's exceptions made to the policy if a Chinese woman becomes pregnant with twins or triplets?

My name is URL · 04-10-2013 08:08PM

snubbleste wrote: »

Imagine if China had not introduced the one child policy 40 years ago, you'd be looking at serious problems today not just in China but globally.
There is only so many resources in the world and there is only so many humans the planet can support.

So why are we not doing the same thing? Better to know that millions of distant strangers are suffering in exchange for a world we choose to live in? We're all too happy to have them manufacture us disposable consumerist crap.. it's us that benefit from population controls in China. Not the people actually experiencing it.

JRant · 04-10-2013 08:11PM

It boils down to simple maths really. If they allowed every couple to have 3/4/5/6 kids then the population would exponentially increase and cripple the whole country and possibly destabilise the World.

04-10-2013 08:15PM

vitani wrote: »

Just an idle thought, but I take it there's exceptions made to the policy if a Chinese woman becomes pregnant with twins or triplets?

Twins sought[edit]
Since there are no penalties for multiple births, it is believed that an increasing number of couples are turning to fertility medicines to induce the conception of twins. According to a 2006 China Daily report, the number of twins born per year in China had doubled.[timeframe?][117]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-child_policy#Twins_sought

JRant · 04-10-2013 08:22PM

My name is URL wrote: »

So why are we not doing the same thing? Better to know that millions of distant strangers are suffering in exchange for a world we choose to live in? We're all too happy to have them manufacture us disposable consumerist crap.. it's us that benefit from population controls in China. Not the people actually experiencing it.

That's an unusual way of looking at it. Those measures were brought in for the benefit of China and China only. When was the last time China introduced any policy that wasn't solely for their own benefit?

Laois_Man · 04-10-2013 08:38PM

Dear China

I know we owe you about 13 Trillion dollars.
And I know the US national debt is increasing at the rate of a million dollars every 90 seconds.
And I know the bulk of that money is coming from you.
But ya better sort out your **** fast...or we'll do stuff to ya that'll..... er.....make sure we don't get access tp these funds anymore

Regards;

Barrack

Femme_Fatale · 04-10-2013 11:09PM

I don't see anything wrong with concerns regarding what goes on in societies far afield, but when it comes to "Should the West do xyz", what can the West do? How does it go about it? The West is huge and broad - why is responsibility directed at people on a tiny island like Ireland? How much of a jurisdiction does the West have?

Depp · 04-10-2013 11:21PM

its nothing to do with us and we should keep our noses out of it

pablomakaveli · 04-10-2013 11:21PM

I went to college with a couple of Chinese students and i asked them what they thought of the one child policy and was surprised when they said they agreed with it.

They reckoned China was too overpopulated and the one child policy was needed though this forced abortion thing must be in rural China as one of the students i knew had a twin. They told me families would have to pay a fine if they had more than one child so i can't imagine forced abortions is an official course of action.

Chinasea · 05-10-2013 09:50AM

Totally agree with population 'awareness'.

Duckjob · 05-10-2013 10:00AM

We have the opposite problem here - certain parts of society happily popping out sprog after sprog that they can't support and the state happily picking up the tab for it.

Sounds like a rogue local government operation - AFAIK certainly in the big cities in China the parents will be levied with a fine for violating the policy but certainly nothing like this.

KingOfFairview · 05-10-2013 10:01AM

pablomakaveli wrote: »

I went to college with a couple of Chinese students and i asked them what they thought of the one child policy and was surprised when they said they agreed with it.

They reckoned China was too overpopulated and the one child policy was needed though this forced abortion thing must be in rural China as one of the students i knew had a twin. They told me families would have to pay a fine if they had more than one child so i can't imagine forced abortions is an official course of action.

Indeed, my old Chinese barber had 3 kids and he said he just got some minor fine or tax hike. The days when the west could dictate to China ended about 64 years ago.

Sir Humphrey Appleby · 05-10-2013 10:02AM

My name is URL wrote: »

http://news.sky.com/story/1150016/china-couple-speak-of-forced-abortion

This is obviously nothing new for china, but how long is the Western world willing to stand by and accept this as agreeable policy for a potential global superpower? Nations have been hit with sanctions etc for a lot less.

Is it time for us to do something about this barbaric practice?

How do you propose the "west" do something?

Is it time the west took action against China's 'one-child policy'?

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