Building the Population Law based on practical requirements

(Chinhphu.vn) - The promulgation of the new Law will raise the effectiveness of the 2003 Population Ordinance to a higher level, creating a solid legal foundation for the national population policy.

Picture of a happy family with two children

On November 13, in Phu Tho province, the Department of Population, Ministry of Health coordinated with the United Nations Population Fund to organize a meeting to contribute ideas to complete the draft Population Law. The draft Population Law was submitted by the Government to the National Assembly at the 10th Session. On November 10, the National Assembly discussed the draft Law in the hall. It is expected that the draft Law will be passed by the National Assembly on December 10.

Mr. Pham Vu Hoang, Deputy Director of the Department of Population, said that the draft Law plays a very important role, affecting the socio -economic development of the country. The draft focuses on four major policy groups, including: maintaining replacement fertility; reducing gender imbalance at birth; adapting to population aging; and improving population quality.

"After listening to the opinions of National Assembly deputies in the discussion session in the Group, in the hall, the Drafting Committee continued to carefully research and receive opinions in accordance with the Party's policies and resolutions; ensuring unity and synchronization in the legal system and starting from the practical requirements of the country and referring to international experience," Mr. Pham Vu Hoang shared.

Affirming that the Population Law, once passed, will decide the fate and future of the country in the next 50 or 100 years, Professor Nguyen Thien Nhan, former member of the Politburo, former Deputy Prime Minister, and delegate of the 15th National Assembly, emphasized that making the Population Law now is extremely important. This is not only a "golden" opportunity but also a "diamond" opportunity for Vietnam.

Taking the example of Japan's slow implementation of population solutions, Professor Nguyen Thien Nhan said that if there is no policy to encourage childbirth soon, Vietnam will face population decline, labor shortage and the risk of slowing economic growth. "In 1975, Vietnam's population was about 50 million people and 50 years later, Vietnam has reached more than 100 million people. If we do not reach the current population, we will have no labor, no human resources and no development."

At the meeting, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Cu, former Director of the Institute of Population and Social Issues (National Economics University), said that the promulgation of the new Law will raise the effectiveness of the 2003 Population Ordinance to a higher level, creating a solid legal foundation for the national population policy. The new point of this draft Law is that the right to decide the number of children and the spacing of children is given to couples, instead of limiting each couple to only one or two children as before. This provision opens up a new legal corridor for reproductive rights, in line with the current trend of social development.

"In addition, the draft Law focuses on improving population quality from the beginning of life through regulations on pre-marital health consultation and examination, prevention of early marriage and incestuous marriage, prenatal and newborn screening. These solutions contribute to reducing the rate of birth defects, ensuring that children are born healthy, with comprehensive physical and mental development," said Professor Nguyen Dinh Cu.

According to Professor Nguyen Dinh Cu, this means that population health care is expanded from the prenatal stage, not just stopping at birth control.

Another notable content in the draft Law is adapting to the aging population - a major challenge in the current context. According to Professor Nguyen Dinh Cu, Vietnam already has a Law on the Elderly, however, according to many experts, this law does not have specific regulations on training staff and developing elderly care facilities.

"This draft Population Law aims to socialize the field of elderly care, encourage businesses to participate in investment, build centers and train professional human resources, to meet the increasing needs of society. In fact, the size of Vietnamese households is shrinking from an average of 5-6 people in the past to about 3.5 people per household, even in Binh Duong only about 2.9 people. Meanwhile, women, the traditional caregivers, have participated in the labor market at a rate of about 46%, leading to many difficulties in caring for the elderly in the family. Therefore, developing a professional care system is an inevitable trend," said Professor Nguyen Dinh Cu.

The workshop was an opportunity for the drafting agency to receive and respond to groups of issues in the 18 questions raised by National Assembly delegates, clarifying the contents that still have different opinions. Delegates expect that the new Population Law will expand reproductive rights, improve population quality, adapt to aging and strengthen human resources for the country's sustainable development.

Hien Minh

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/xay-dung-luat-dan-so-xuat-phat-tu-yeu-cau-thuc-tien-102251113161953477.htm