"Advocate Family-Planning”

One of China's basic national conditions is its large population. Mao Zedong put forward the idea of “family planning and birth control” as early as the First Five-Year Plan.

In the “Outline for National Agricultural Development, 1956-1967”, published in 1956, Mao Zedong put forward: “Except the areas of national minorities, in all densely populated areas, we should publicize and promote birth control and advocate planned childbirth.”

In September 1956, Zhou Enlai made a report entitled "Report on the Proposals for the Second Five-Year Plan for Development of the National Economy” at the Eighth National Congress of the CPC, pointing out: “For the protection of women and children and the good upbringing of future generations for the health of the nation and the prosperity of the nation, we are in favor of appropriate moderation in childbearing...”

In February 1957, Mao Zedong clearly pointed out that “population growth must be controlled” and that "birth control should be advocated and planned.” “Humankind is completely incapable of managing itself, sometimes they can reduce, sometimes they can increase, and sometimes they can pause.” He agreed with Ma Yinchu's opinion on controlling population growth and said, “I agree with him.”

In October of the same year, Mao Zedong pointed out in his speech at the Third Plenary Session of the Eighth Expanded Central Committee of the Communist Party, “There should be a ten-year program for promoting birth control.” We don’t promote birth control in ethnic areas or in sparsely populated mountainous areas. Even in places with a large population, pilot projects should be carried out to gradually popularize family planning. Family Planning Should Be Openly Taught

“… In the future, China should have full family planning.”

Until the year before his death, Mao was still concerned about the population problem, reiterating the scientific conclusion that “population growth must be controlled”. Mao Zedong not only discussed the importance of family planning, but also put forward the important proposition for implementing family planning. The main points are as follows:

(1) Establishing special institutions and taking leading and promoting family planning work as a task of the government.

(2) Emphasizing the importance of family planning, following the mass line, getting the cooperation of the people through publicity and education, and not coercing the people.

(3) Advocating publicizing contraceptive knowledge and providing contraceptive drugs and machinery to the people.

Mao Zedong’s thought of population planning and the policy and principle of family planning were of long-term guiding significance to the development of family planning in China.