Umm, that’s not a direct quote of the policy. That’s a Clintonian, “this message seems to say”, and then words it intentionally heartlessly. Teach Abroad should be ashamed for lowering itself to the NY Times usual tactics.
Most Chinese, and the few Chinese government officials I have spoken with, do not like the one-child policy, but they understand it. When you’re just coming out of a hand-to-mouth agricultural economy for a billion people, you want to be a bit careful about creating too many more mouths to feed.
China’s government has also eased up on this policy in several ways. No more forced abortions or sterilizations, a second child is allowed in rural areas if the first is a girl (to help lower the number of aborted female unborns), and mostly monetary penalties for violations. That’s a radical improvement.
Remember, China is feeding 20% of the globe with only 8% of the world’s arable land... and this is in an economy where it is still more efficient and reasonable to hire numerous workers than to buy a modern farm machine. Unless you support a policy whereby China can start exporting a few hundred million (voting) people to other countries (any guesses as to which one might be the favorite?), we should try to be a little less hyperbolic in the face of a human tragedy like the recent earthquakes.
I would be careful before stating so confidently that there are “no more forced abortions or sterilizations” in China. You might want to read this article that among others suggests that forced abortions are still being performed in China