Nevertheless, for traditional societies like Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Pakistan (some of the most populous countries in the world), where neither a viable social security system nor a strong authoritarian government exists, the Chinese policy of one child per family would be hard to implement. The biggest hurdle these countries would invariably face is the wrath of religious fundamentalists. Less educated people are easily manipulated or swayed in the name of religion. The argument that children are the gift of God and are cared for by God is still being embraced by too many underprivileged people of the world. It will not be easy to change these attitudes.
India had once tried to restrict its population growth through legislation, but had to abandon the policy under tremendous pressure. Yet, some of the countries are now openly discussing and weighing the policy that China has adopted – one child per family. In a recent meeting of the Bangladesh Population Council, the local experts have, in fact, recommended precisely such a policy for Bangladesh.
To meet the challenge of population growth in developing countries, in the absence of a China-style mandate of one child per family, here are some minimal but essential measures that should be considered for immediate implementation: 1) establishing some kind of social security system for the elderly, 2) mandating a minimum age for marriage, 3) discouraging people from getting married or having a child without a steady income, and most importantly, 4) requiring every woman to attend a prescribed class on sexuality, health, hygiene, child bearing, family planning, and birth control before marriage.
In developed countries, girls routinely get lessons on many of these issues by the time they finish junior high school, whereas in developing countries no such formal education is provided to even the prospective wives or mothers. Such knowledge helps a likely mother's role in the decision making process of raising children. Fertility rates decline when parents feel assured that their children will survive and thrive.
The proposed lessons for women before marriage might consist of just a simple video presentation with a question and answer session. Considering the poverty level of the people in developing countries, special emphasis should be given on inexpensive and relatively safe methods of birth control like the timely withdrawal method (medically described as coitus interruptus). This form of birth control might even be more acceptable to religious leaders.
In any case, educating women as well as men on the implications of their actions or inaction on family matters would be the best way to achieve not only the desired goal of population stabilization but also basic healthcare of the child, which most developing countries are clearly striving to achieve. Considering all the consequences, developing countries could ill afford not to confront population problem head on.
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