China law to make children visit their aged parents, Taking care of parents is part of traditional Chinese culture Options

[galvatron]

China law to make children visit parents
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12130140
China is considering making it a legal duty for people to visit their aged parents, state media say.

Under a draft legal amendment, elderly people could go to court to claim their right to be physically and mentally looked after by their children.

China is dealing with the problems of a growing elderly population.

Taking care of parents is part of traditional Chinese culture but migration and work pressures have been fracturing family ties, observers say.

An eighth of the population of China is over the age of 60, and more than half of them live alone.

Decades of China's one-child policy have left fewer workers supporting more and more elderly relatives.

And while the number of nursing homes is growing, the authorities were recently alarmed by stories of old people dying unnoticed in their apartments.

The change is a proposed draft amendment to the Law on Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Aged which came into effect in 1996.

A lawyer told state media the proposed new law would be difficult to enforce.

"It would be better to strengthen moral education than to force people to do something legally," Qian Jun said.

China has nearly 167 million people aged over 60 and one million above 80.

[PinkUndies]

I feel sorry for the children. As the only child in the family, they have to look after their own family (wife and kids) plus their aged parents and possibly grandparents

[InitialDJay]

invest in social program is an expensive tap for the government to absorb. currently, i don't think there's any solution to it.

hate to break the bad news, but those elders without a rich son/daughter, will probably have to die in a lonely matter.

[Suijen]

^ That's rather cynical.

Don't the older people have extended family? The typical Chinese family doesn't just contain the nuclear family.

[Lorax]

this is ridiculous. The lawyer is correct, it would be much better to strengthen moral education and that will be needed anyway to further a better society in general.

[InitialDJay]

^ That's rather cynical.

Don't the older people have extended family? The typical Chinese family doesn't just contain the nuclear family.

i just based it on human nature

[Suijen]

My guess is that this is one of those bs laws they pass that no one really enforces, like spitting in public and j-walking.

This post has been edited by Suijen: Jan 7 2011, 04:39 AM

[ClassicalMusic]

invest in social program is an expensive tap for the government to absorb. currently, i don't think there's any solution to it.

hate to break the bad news, but those elders without a rich son/daughter, will probably have to die in a lonely matter.

I Agree

[GaleHarold]

Again, the Chinese government is considering making laws without thinking about social and cultural consequences. They made up the one child policy with no regards that the older people have no social safety net and rely on their children for support AND that China is still stuck in the male-preference mindset.

Now they are going to make it the law for these only children to visit their parents and what not.

Another mess coming up.

[kuan]

Again, the Chinese government is considering making laws without thinking about social and cultural consequences. They made up the one child policy with no regards that the older people have no social safety net and rely on their children for support AND that China is still stuck in the male-preference mindset.

Now they are going to make it the law for these only children to visit their parents and what not.

Another mess coming up.

Agree....

This problem ranks up there at the same level as America's budget debt.

I agree that China needed to reduced the growth of the future populations, but the policies used to implement the objectives are a
made in china "Fuc k up" to say the least.

Didn't anybody recognize the existence of an imbalance of males vs females.
More men will have to a) import wives or b) change sexual orientation.

Then the gov't expects less younger Chinese to support more elderly relatives.
The gov't must have their heads up their @$$ if they think this is a plan.

No preparations were made to assist elderly people.
We tell the world that Asian people respect the elderly...come visit china in ten years
I'm sure your going to be able to witness a generation of elderly beggars.
How would you feel seeing your mother on the street asking for a handout?

The only hope is that your family relatives are wealthy.
The future will be coming soon.

[cloverleaves]

I think children should visit their aged parents out of the goodness of their heart, so I don't agree they should make it a law. Once you start forcing people to do stuff, even those who wanted to do it anyway, will start to resent it.

[GaleHarold]

Agree....

This problem ranks up there at the same level as America's budget debt.

I agree that China needed to reduced the growth of the future populations, but the policies used to implement the objectives are a
made in china "Fuc k up" to say the least.

Didn't anybody recognize the existence of an imbalance of males vs females.
More men will have to a) import wives or b) change sexual orientation.

Then the gov't expects less younger Chinese to support more elderly relatives.
The gov't must have their heads up their @$$ if they think this is a plan.

No preparations were made to assist elderly people.
We tell the world that Asian people respect the elderly...come visit china in ten years
I'm sure your going to be able to witness a generation of elderly beggars.
How would you feel seeing your mother on the street asking for a handout?

The only hope is that your family relatives are wealthy.
The future will be coming soon.

Another thing is, how are they going to enforce this law?
If anything, this is another law that, like many others, are aribitrarily enforced, if at all.


This post has been edited by GaleHarold: Jan 11 2011, 09:56 AM

[ReginaRae]

You know, if I want a good laugh or if I want to feel even more happy about living in America, I just read some Chinese news.
All the outright flaws China has, and this is what they might make into a law?

[newties21]

You know, if I want a good laugh or if I want to feel even more happy about living in America, I just read some Chinese news.
All the outright flaws China has, and this is what they might make into a law?

Ohh....I see I see.....

Anyways it might look odd or silly to you.

But I wonder what is your opinion and impression about some other related similar things in America such as,

- The laws about child sharing among divorced parents (how many days a week a child must be ping-ponged between the 2 parents)

- The laws about forcing a divorcee to pay monthly maintenance fees or go to court.

- The laws about some other related family stuff (I am not familiar with all of them)

As a matter of fact, I have impression that USA is among the world's most regulated nation in terms of familial relations and there are lots of laws, and lots of lawyers making money from lawsuits.

Is this true?

Maybe you can explain it a bit to me.

[GaleHarold]

Ohh....I see I see.....

Anyways it might look odd or silly to you.

But I wonder what is your opinion and impression about some other related similar things in America such as,

- The laws about child sharing among divorced parents (how many days a week a child must be ping-ponged between the 2 parents)

- The laws about forcing a divorcee to pay monthly maintenance fees or go to court.

- The laws about some other related family stuff (I am not familiar with all of them)

As a matter of fact, I have impression that USA is among the world's most regulated nation in terms of familial relations and there are lots of laws, and lots of lawyers making money from lawsuits.

Is this true?

Maybe you can explain it a bit to me.

Most family laws center around parents and their children only when they are still minors and MONEY (so what else is new).