China’s Pushes for a Baby Boom With a New Tax on Birth Control
But some worry about the fallout — and what might happen next.
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Hi, it’s Karoline in Singapore. In its latest bid to reverse plunging birth rates, China is adding a tax to contraceptives, including condoms. More on this in a moment, but first …
I grew up in the one-child era in China, when officials from local family planning offices regularly visited my female relatives to persuade them to quit the idea of having more children. Back then, free condoms were available on many university campuses, for both accessible contraception and raising health awareness. For decades, the message was clear: China wanted to limit births, and contraception — even coerced forms — was a tool of state policy.