Chinas One Child Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Chinas One Child Policy - Essay Example While both sides have claims, reasoning and evidence, Toulmin’s model of argumentation is not specifically used by either side. The argument is also a very political one. Each side has different cultures and values, and these form a large part of the context that must be considered when examining the claims and context in this debate. Authorities in China say that since 2000, more than 250 million live births have been prevented by the use of this policy. They claim that if these people had been born, the current infrastructure and social structure in China would be unable to support them and that China would be weaker today. This argument goes to the core of the policy and is one of the main reasons it was implemented in the first place by the Chinese government back in the late 1970s following the period of economic opening led by Deng Xiaping. At the time the policy was implemented by the government there were grave concerns about China being overpopulated and being unable to support its own people. This led some politicians to suggest the one child policy. Another cause was the fact that contraception was not widely available back at the time this policy went into effect. It was harder for women to control their own reproduction; instead, the state decided to take control. The state argues this was done out of necessity because of the social and cultural aspects in vogue at the time. But today, several decades later, many wonder if it was even necessary. For example, has it done much to address this state problem?