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Wuhan， the capital city of central China’s Hubei Province， recently published a draft regulation stating that parents of children born out of wedlock would be fined.
Accordingly， an unmarried woman who cannot provide the ID certificate of her partner， or who knowingly bears the child of someone who already has a spouse， must pay the government for social care.
The issuing of this regulation has triggered much debate among the public. Does it accord with China’s laws and regulations？ What are reasonable and effective measures to deal with unmarried childbirth？
Some people believe the regulation could serve a good purpose， and help keep the childbirth rate of “the other woman” low. Meanwhile， others are worried that the new policy may lead to more cases of abortions and infant abandonment， as single mothers have long been stigmatised in Chinese society. Traditional views can make single mothers feel embarrassed and helpless.
With Chinese society becoming increasingly diversified， some people think it is acceptable to have kids out of wedlock. The following are excerpts of opinions on the issue：
Liu Zhijun （Global Times）： Today， the overall tendency demands more relaxed control over childbirth and more tolerance for women’s rights. To announce such a regulation at this moment is setting up a value judgment against single mothers. It’s quite doubtful whether this regulation is feasible， and based on the current situation， it will barely reach any set goals. Instead， it might result in a series of unexpected consequences， such as increasing cases of abortion and baby abandonment.
The worst part of this regulation is its disrespect to the right of childbirth and particularly to women’s rights. Let us first put moral issues aside and focus on the topic of childbirth out of wedlock. Generally speaking， unmarried mothers are in nature the same as ordinary single mothers. To charge so-called “compensation fees” on the latter for the practice of childbirth has nothing to do with population control. It is imposing legal marriage as a restraint on women before they want to bear a child. As for those who don’t want to go into marriage， but want to give birth to a child， they will be deprived of the right to have kids.
Every woman has the right to bear children. Around the world， many countries have already adjusted to the existence of unmarried mothers. Social development is expected to push China toward a state of more tolerance and openness. We are expecting to see more women unwilling to get married， but willing to have children. Their right of childbirth and freedom of choosing how to do so must be respected. Family planning is one of China’s basic national policies. It is a necessary planning and policy arrangement， but it’s improper for it to take population control as its core objective. It should be revised as something to seek balance between population， economy， society， as well as resources and environment.
Relevant authorities in Wuhan responded to the criticism by claiming that it will solicit “advice” on the draft， and that the article is subject to change. This is an active response to public questioning.
Yu Shaoxiang （www.china.org.cn）： Implementation of the regulation will be quite difficult. For example， how can you judge whether the unmarried mother knows the man for whom she bears a child has another spouse？ Besides， to charge a “social compensation fee”will surely lead to more cases of abortion and abandoned babies. Worse still， if the mother is living in a difficult situation， she might choose to run away or even sell her baby. The regulation is not helping to solve social problems， as relevant authorities have claimed， but is producing more social conflicts， which will be even more difficult to deal with.
To curb the number of “mistresses” and control childbirth among unmarried mothers， authorities should not depend on simple and rough methods such as fines. Wuhan’s draft regulation is more evidence of local government arbitrariness in collecting fees. Family planning is one of China’s national policies， but for so many years， many local governments， instead of trying to tackle the problem at its roots， are only interested in fining families for breaking relevant regulations. Moreover， it’s still unknown who is supervising the huge amount of amercement and who is using the money.
Xue Ninglan （www. china.org.cn.）： The regulation means to safeguard the policy of family planning， but the method of fining unmarried mothers is questionable， as experience tells that fines can’t solve the problem of having more than one child. In China， everyone enjoys the right of bearing a child. Rich people are not more qualified than the poor and it’s not as if you can have children as you please after paying up. Wuhan’s family planning authorities seem to convey the idea that， as long as you pay a “social compensation fee，” it’s all right to disobey the family planning policy as well as relevant laws and regulations.
Chen Guangjiang （Changsha Evening News）： Undoubtedly， childbirth out of wedlock is going against China’s national policy of family planning and abusing limited childbirth quotas for qualified parents. Therefore， it’s necessary to do something to cope with this social phenomenon. The question now is how to balance the authority of the law and women’s basic right of childbirth. The phenomena of “unmarried mothers”and childbirth out of wedlock result from many reasons， such as irresponsible premarital sex，“one night stands，” deliberately having more than one child and even the desire for having a child without entering marriage. No matter what has happened， as long as the unmarried mother “cannot provide appropriate certificates from her partner，” she will have to pay a huge price. To bear a baby and raise it is not an easy job. An unmarried mother may well slip into plight because of her baby. To impose a fine is just an added disaster. When the basic living conditions and rights of a mother and her baby are at risk， more cases of abortion and abandonment may occur. Besides， a woman is unable to bear a child alone， so why single women out for punishment while their male partners are left at large？ It’s unfair.
What worries the public more is， if family planning authorities only use the simple method of “fines，” rich people will choose to bear more children， as they are not afraid of paying， while the poor continue to struggle. Celebrities and wealthy people always find various ways of“legally having more than one child，” grabbing a large amount of social resources. How to restrain this group is the real priority.
In the face of cases violating the family planning policy， relevant departments should work out more useful methods， to produce a good result for both individuals and society as a whole in the process of implementation. Only in this way can they manage to safeguard the authority of laws and maintain social justice.
Li Liang （www.scol.com.cn）： There are many reasons for the increase of “unmarried mothers.” Apart from moral issues concerning “mistresses，” in most cases， it’s because of young people’s indulgence in sex. They do this out of adolescent impulse， something not so directly connected with morality. Thus， it’s improper to reprimand them too severely and even impose heavy economic burdens on them. To offer them psychological guidance and pay more attention to prevention will be more helpful to the young.
World Bank statistics show， during 2008 and 2011， the annual fertility rate among adolescent girls was 9 per thousand. These young girls are economically incapable， as even they themselves depend on their families for survival. If they are fined for bearing a baby， they will be driven into a terrible situation. Quite possibly， they will choose to abandon and even kill their children to avoid punishment and stigma.
If you do want to punish childbirth out of wedlock， it’s unfair to fine the mother alone， while the father avoids accountability. In reality， in many cases， the unmarried mother has no choice but to bear the burden alone.
The phenomenon concerning unmarried mothers is a social problem， reflecting the lack of sex education， the incapability of current aid systems and also irresponsibility on the part of the “fathers.” Therefore， it’s unfair to impose punishments on unmarried mothers alone.
Accordingly， an unmarried woman who cannot provide the ID certificate of her partner， or who knowingly bears the child of someone who already has a spouse， must pay the government for social care.
The issuing of this regulation has triggered much debate among the public. Does it accord with China’s laws and regulations？ What are reasonable and effective measures to deal with unmarried childbirth？
Some people believe the regulation could serve a good purpose， and help keep the childbirth rate of “the other woman” low. Meanwhile， others are worried that the new policy may lead to more cases of abortions and infant abandonment， as single mothers have long been stigmatised in Chinese society. Traditional views can make single mothers feel embarrassed and helpless.
With Chinese society becoming increasingly diversified， some people think it is acceptable to have kids out of wedlock. The following are excerpts of opinions on the issue：
Liu Zhijun （Global Times）： Today， the overall tendency demands more relaxed control over childbirth and more tolerance for women’s rights. To announce such a regulation at this moment is setting up a value judgment against single mothers. It’s quite doubtful whether this regulation is feasible， and based on the current situation， it will barely reach any set goals. Instead， it might result in a series of unexpected consequences， such as increasing cases of abortion and baby abandonment.
The worst part of this regulation is its disrespect to the right of childbirth and particularly to women’s rights. Let us first put moral issues aside and focus on the topic of childbirth out of wedlock. Generally speaking， unmarried mothers are in nature the same as ordinary single mothers. To charge so-called “compensation fees” on the latter for the practice of childbirth has nothing to do with population control. It is imposing legal marriage as a restraint on women before they want to bear a child. As for those who don’t want to go into marriage， but want to give birth to a child， they will be deprived of the right to have kids.
Every woman has the right to bear children. Around the world， many countries have already adjusted to the existence of unmarried mothers. Social development is expected to push China toward a state of more tolerance and openness. We are expecting to see more women unwilling to get married， but willing to have children. Their right of childbirth and freedom of choosing how to do so must be respected. Family planning is one of China’s basic national policies. It is a necessary planning and policy arrangement， but it’s improper for it to take population control as its core objective. It should be revised as something to seek balance between population， economy， society， as well as resources and environment.
Relevant authorities in Wuhan responded to the criticism by claiming that it will solicit “advice” on the draft， and that the article is subject to change. This is an active response to public questioning.
Yu Shaoxiang （www.china.org.cn）： Implementation of the regulation will be quite difficult. For example， how can you judge whether the unmarried mother knows the man for whom she bears a child has another spouse？ Besides， to charge a “social compensation fee”will surely lead to more cases of abortion and abandoned babies. Worse still， if the mother is living in a difficult situation， she might choose to run away or even sell her baby. The regulation is not helping to solve social problems， as relevant authorities have claimed， but is producing more social conflicts， which will be even more difficult to deal with.
To curb the number of “mistresses” and control childbirth among unmarried mothers， authorities should not depend on simple and rough methods such as fines. Wuhan’s draft regulation is more evidence of local government arbitrariness in collecting fees. Family planning is one of China’s national policies， but for so many years， many local governments， instead of trying to tackle the problem at its roots， are only interested in fining families for breaking relevant regulations. Moreover， it’s still unknown who is supervising the huge amount of amercement and who is using the money.
Xue Ninglan （www. china.org.cn.）： The regulation means to safeguard the policy of family planning， but the method of fining unmarried mothers is questionable， as experience tells that fines can’t solve the problem of having more than one child. In China， everyone enjoys the right of bearing a child. Rich people are not more qualified than the poor and it’s not as if you can have children as you please after paying up. Wuhan’s family planning authorities seem to convey the idea that， as long as you pay a “social compensation fee，” it’s all right to disobey the family planning policy as well as relevant laws and regulations.
Chen Guangjiang （Changsha Evening News）： Undoubtedly， childbirth out of wedlock is going against China’s national policy of family planning and abusing limited childbirth quotas for qualified parents. Therefore， it’s necessary to do something to cope with this social phenomenon. The question now is how to balance the authority of the law and women’s basic right of childbirth. The phenomena of “unmarried mothers”and childbirth out of wedlock result from many reasons， such as irresponsible premarital sex，“one night stands，” deliberately having more than one child and even the desire for having a child without entering marriage. No matter what has happened， as long as the unmarried mother “cannot provide appropriate certificates from her partner，” she will have to pay a huge price. To bear a baby and raise it is not an easy job. An unmarried mother may well slip into plight because of her baby. To impose a fine is just an added disaster. When the basic living conditions and rights of a mother and her baby are at risk， more cases of abortion and abandonment may occur. Besides， a woman is unable to bear a child alone， so why single women out for punishment while their male partners are left at large？ It’s unfair.
What worries the public more is， if family planning authorities only use the simple method of “fines，” rich people will choose to bear more children， as they are not afraid of paying， while the poor continue to struggle. Celebrities and wealthy people always find various ways of“legally having more than one child，” grabbing a large amount of social resources. How to restrain this group is the real priority.
In the face of cases violating the family planning policy， relevant departments should work out more useful methods， to produce a good result for both individuals and society as a whole in the process of implementation. Only in this way can they manage to safeguard the authority of laws and maintain social justice.
Li Liang （www.scol.com.cn）： There are many reasons for the increase of “unmarried mothers.” Apart from moral issues concerning “mistresses，” in most cases， it’s because of young people’s indulgence in sex. They do this out of adolescent impulse， something not so directly connected with morality. Thus， it’s improper to reprimand them too severely and even impose heavy economic burdens on them. To offer them psychological guidance and pay more attention to prevention will be more helpful to the young.
World Bank statistics show， during 2008 and 2011， the annual fertility rate among adolescent girls was 9 per thousand. These young girls are economically incapable， as even they themselves depend on their families for survival. If they are fined for bearing a baby， they will be driven into a terrible situation. Quite possibly， they will choose to abandon and even kill their children to avoid punishment and stigma.
If you do want to punish childbirth out of wedlock， it’s unfair to fine the mother alone， while the father avoids accountability. In reality， in many cases， the unmarried mother has no choice but to bear the burden alone.
The phenomenon concerning unmarried mothers is a social problem， reflecting the lack of sex education， the incapability of current aid systems and also irresponsibility on the part of the “fathers.” Therefore， it’s unfair to impose punishments on unmarried mothers alone.