FAMILY PLANNING (KB)

 

Family planning is the planning applied by a couple to decide when to have children by using some birth control techniques. It is usually applied to a female-male couple who wish to limit the number of children they have or to control the timing of pregnancy. In this respect, some countries have implemented the policy of family planning. China, for example, has imposed one-child policy that encourages couples to have no more than one child. Even though some people argue against family planning, some positive effects should be taken into account, such as control of population, reduction of maternal death, and increase of social welfare.

            Many people disagree with the policy of family planning. They think that such policy will result in many problems, such as abortion and forced sterilization. Some religious thinkers also criticize this policy by stating that in religious belief, God will take care of all the people around the world. Nevertheless, these ideas may be countered by some arguments below.

The first argument of the importance of family planning is that the population of the world now is increasing. The growing population should be controlled by implementing a policy that will take care of human life. For instance, family planning by using some birth control techniques will be able to reduce the birth rate. Otherwise, it will lead to the population explosion. Hence, the small family will potentially manage their resource since the natural resource is really limited. If the population is growing fast, the natural resources will end up soon and the next generation will suffer from hunger and health problems.

The other argument to support family planning is the fact that the rate of maternal death is relatively high. In Indonesia, for instance, the maternal mortality in this country is the highest one in South-East Asia. Many women die just after giving birth. It may be caused by not only the shortage of health facilities but also the frequent birth. The more the children they have, the higher the risk they experience. Therefore, family planning will be useful for them to maintain their health and give a good care to their children.

The third important point of family planning is that the policy will be able to increase the welfare of society. It is the real goal of family planning policy. Since the number of population is not huge, the government will be able to distribute the welfare to society more easily. The government will have the chance to provide better public facilities, such as hospital, street, and transportation. Therefore, family planning is a better choice to build a strong society.

In short, family planning is still a controversial issue. However, it may provide several advantages for people as well as the government. Hence, people should support this policy to enhance the welfare of society.