China's controversial one child policy is about to be scrapped, but it's not all good news for families.
The ruling Communist Party plans to loosen up the restrictions... to allow for a maximum of two children per couple.
China will “fully implement a policy of allowing each couple to have two children as an active response to an ageing population”, read a party statement, released today.
The one-child or 'family planning' policy, originally put in place to prevent a population boom 35 years ago, is enforced through fines imposed based on the income of the family and various other factors.
Many ethnic minorities are exempt and in some cases, couples are allowed to have a second child if the first child is a girl, but the rule is at the root of a long list of shocking human rights violations, including abortions and forced sterilisations.
It's also led to a huge gender imbalance in China (sons are the preferred gender), as well as high interest in unnecessary fertility treatment (multiple births are not penalised).
