Is the one-child policy justified?

Take a look at China, a nation that continues its rapid

economic development, which has a government that continues its
centralized and oppressive rule. Using this nation as an example,
you can see policies such as the one-child policy limiting peoples
freedoms to do what they please. It is with laws like these that the
Chinese government continues to be criticized for their violations
of human rights.
However, does the one-child policy even violate any
freedoms or human rights? According to the International
Conference on Human Rights, yes it does. The conference
concluded that "Parents have a basic human right to determine
freely and responsibly the number and the spacing of their
children."
So, why does the Chinese government partake in the onechild policy? The reasons for this policys existence is mostly to
combat overpopulation of China, considering that the nation
remains as the most populated country in the world, with almost
1.4 billion citizens. As a result, the policy would combat poverty in
rural China by giving more room for development, as the excessive
birth rate contributed majorly to the social, economic and
environmental problems of those regions. At least, that was what
the government claims. However, the policy has worked to some
extent, as the one-child policy did, in fact, lower the fertility rate.
Along with that, overpopulation actually remains as a potentially
serious issue, so these limitations may actually have had positive
effects on China for the long-term. With its continued enforcement,
the policy has gained popular support. The Pew Research Center
released a report on the one-child policy, showing that 76% of the
Chinese population supported it.
What is so wrong about this policy, then? Taking a look at
past examples, Chinas one-child policy has, ironically, contributed
to some of the economic strain in the nation. In Chinese society, it
is often the job of the child to provide for his/her family. With only
one child for support, families are at higher risk of dependence,
possibly creating financial problems for the citizens. (Four-TwoOne Problem). Another outcome of this policy is that it actually
forces violations of human rights on certain individuals. In many

cases, Chinese women are forced to undergo abortions or commit

infanticide, in accordance with the policy.
Criticism against the government for the policys harms
towards society and its exaggerated benefits has continued since
its inception. Recently, the government proposed changes to its
one-child policy, which would allow parents to have more than one
child, in hopes to balance out its economy, which has become
somewhat dependent on its population.
This problem begs the question: Is it right or morally
justified to impose certain limitations against ones freedoms and
actions?
Taking a look at the failures of this policy, the direct reply
for this case would certainly be no. However, there are always
certain cases where similar limitations can be helpful, right? Well,
of course, many policies violate our freedom, such as being forced
to wear a seatbelt or not being allowed to own an automatic
machine gun. These rules, along with the one-child policy, attempt
to prevent potential harms by taking preventative measures.
Has the policy worked? To answer this question, does it
even matter if the policy has been successful? My view is that in a
perfect world, this policy would be justified. People would not
violate this law, along with Chinese society already having solved
the majority of its economic problems. If this were the case, this
policy would work perfectly in preventing the problem of
overpopulation, to which our world continues to edge closer to, in
comparison. Unfortunately, this is not the case, with a nation
polluted with instability, both in its economy and politics, along
with certain individuals always breaking this law. This policy is not
justified, as it has led to the deaths of many infants and catalyzed
economic problems for many of Chinas rural population, and,
furthermore, it failed to reach many of its goals, which the
government had originally claimed.
Sources:
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/l2ptichr.htm - Dec.24

http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2014/10/13942/ - Dec. 24
http://apecsec.org/china-one-child-policy-pros-and-cons/ - Dec. 26

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/24/us-china-onechildidUSBRE9BN01C20131224 - Dec.26
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexandra-paul/a-new-one-childpolicy_b_4324236.html - Dec.26