From today, couples can decide the number of children they want.

The Ordinance takes effect immediately after the National Assembly Standing Committee votes to approve it.

Minister of Health speaks about the draft ordinance.

Notably, each couple and individual decides on the time of giving birth, the number of children and the interval between births in accordance with the age, health status, learning conditions, labor, work, income and child-rearing of the individual or couple on the basis of equality.

According to the Ministry of Health , this amendment aims to overcome the difference in birth rates between regions and groups, and avoid the birth rate falling too low and not reaching the replacement level - which could negatively affect sustainable economic, social, security and defense development in the future.

Amending legal documents regulating the number of children is one of the contents aimed at maintaining the replacement fertility rate, avoiding the birth rate from continuing to decrease in the coming time.

According to some current studies, it is still common for couples to want to have two children, but not all couples can realize that wish; other factors in life greatly influence people's decisions to have children; therefore, after amending this regulation, the birth rate may increase in the short term, but the increase is not significant. The draft Ordinance does not contain any content affecting national defense and security issues.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that the national fertility rate is trending down below the replacement level, from 2.11 children/woman (2021) to 2.01 children/woman (2022), 1.96 children/woman (2023) and 1.91 children/woman (2024), the lowest in history and is forecast to continue to decrease in the following years.

Members of the National Assembly Standing Committee voted to pass the ordinance.

According to forecasts, if the birth rate continues to decline, Vietnam will end its golden population period by 2039, the working-age population will peak in 2042, and the population will begin to grow negatively after 2054. At that time, the consequences of a prolonged low birth rate will lead to a shortage of labor force, a decline in population size, accelerated population aging, and negative impacts on socio-economic development.

The Ordinance does not contain any content affecting national defense and security issues.

vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/tu-hom-nay-cac-cap-vo-chong-duoc-tu-quyet-so-luong-con-post402797.html