Penalties for Failing to Comply

Penalties for Failing to Comply with the Policy

If couples governed by the one-child policy have more than one child, they are fined “$370 to $12, 800,” an amount many times the average annual income of many Chinese (Hays). If the couple is unable to pay the fine, they may lose their jobs, their land and livestock confiscated, their home destroyed, their children denied the rights and benefits of the state, like education, or their child taken away. The woman can also be forced to be sterilized (Hays). If a family planning official discovers that a woman is having an illegal pregnancy, meaning having a child without a birth permit, he or she can force the woman to have an abortion (Fitzpatrick). The Chinese government has ensured terrible consequences for failing to comply with the one-child policy.