The Guardian view on family planning policies: two kids or too many? | Editorial

Crude attempts to raise and lower birthrates are unlikely to produce sustainable solutions

How many children are enough? How many are too many? People’s feelings about their childhood, their partners and their jobs all shape these intimate choices. Yet in aggregate, clear patterns emerge. One of the most personal decisions a couple can make has profound repercussions for their country’s future, when it may strain resources or reduce the labour force supporting an ageing population.

This is the most common reason, though not the only one, for governments to intrude into the sex lives of their citizens. They may do so coercively, though measures such as forced sterilisation are banned under international law. They may seek to encourage procreation: Mongolia’s “First Order of Glorious Motherhood” is awarded to women who have borne six children or more.

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2HhzXhr