July 20, 2009
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Children of God
I read this article today. Please pray for the Church in Vietnam and in other countries that enforce such policies.
(from lifesitenews.com)
THUA THIEN-HUE province, Viet Nam, (LifeSiteNews.com) – The communist government of Viet Nam is punishing couples with more than two children, a local Catholic news agency reports. Catholic villagers in Thua Thien-Hue province told the Union of Catholic Asian News they are being fined for having more than two children under a revived government two-child policy.
Catherine Pham Thi Thanh, 44, told the service that since 1996, she has been fined a total of 3,800 kilograms of rice for having six children. This represents a significant loss for the family which makes an annual profit of only 700 kilograms of rice from their 1,000 square-meter farm.
Despite the fact that Viet Nam now has a below-replacement rate of fertility – 1.83 children born per woman – the communist government in the early 1960s imposed a 2-child limit for couples. The UN’s leading population control group, the UNFPA, has been active in contraception and abortion campaigns in the country since 1997.
In 2000, the BBC lauded the policy for having reduced the overall fertility rate from 3.8 children per woman to 2.3, but admitted that a “degree of coercion” was used to ensure compliance. This included fines, expulsion from the communist party and confiscation of land. The original policy was scrapped in 2003 but revived in 2008 after a 10 percent spike in the birth rate alarmed officials who never stopped “encouraging” couples to have only small families.
But even the UNFPA was reportedly “puzzled” by the revival. “In Vietnam now life expectancy is rising, the fertility rate is decreasing and in the next 20 years many people will be in the senior group,” said Tran Thi Van, of UNFPA. “If there’s not a sufficient labor force as the population is ageing, the country will face a lot of problems.”
Viet Nam is following China and India on the path of demographic imbalance. The combination of ultrasound tests to determine the sex of the child plus abortion to favor boys, has forced the male to female ratio of the population to climb to 112-100 in 2007.
The Union of Catholic Asian News spoke to the local parish priest, Fr Joseph Nguyen Van Chanh, who confirmed that 90 percent of his 1,200 parishioners have agreed to pay fines as a way to be faithful to Church teaching and said that Catholics are taught natural family planning methods during marriage preparation courses.
Some local Catholics, said Father Chanh, are asking for donations from benefactors to support local people with large families.
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Comments (15)
I hate reading about stuff like this, but I’m glad you posted it. It just doesn’t get enough attention in the mainstream media. They either don’t know about it or don’t care because it doesn’t sell. My prayers are up for these people.
This is just silliness run amok. And the U.N. is promoting this?
How could you not pray for these people?
That is horrible! I will be praying!
So they take rice from the families that need it the most? That is unjust. I pray that the families follow God’s will for their family size, and not the Vietnamese government’s will.
i will definitely pray for my people.. i didn’t hear about this.
How sad and unjust! It’s terrible regardless but worse when it’s going to cause major demographic problems. I will be praying.
That is really sad….I will pray for these people.
Asia Catholic News is a great place to get news about what’s happening on the ground in places we in America don’t hear about in our regular propaganda.
The Cathedrals of American cities contain the most fully integrated group of people you will ever encounter. We are truly a “Catholic” Church ! The real faith is alive in Asia ! Thanks be to God, and the missionaries that brought the Faith (Jesuits many of them). And now the people are being persecuted for their faith, while in America the faith is confused and weak.
May God have mercy…
“…90 percent of his 1,200 parishioners have agreed to pay fines as a way to be faithful to Church teaching….”
I’m not very familiar with Catholic teachings and what little understanding I do have has taught to me by Protestants- most likely biased. What “Church teaching” is he referring to??
My gosh. So sad that this still goes on. Of course i’ll send up some prayers on this one. Thank you for posting it.
@Lynnjynh9315 - The Catholic Church teaches that most birth control methods and above all abortion is a sin (being the murder of a human person). The government of Vietnam would have her Catholic citizens use birth control methods or abortions to control family sizes so, in order to remain true to their faith, many Catholic families in Vietnam are choosing to “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s” instead of aborting their children. It is difficult for sure, especially when the fines are more than the family makes in a year. But children are a blessing, and these people know this.
@Ancient_Scribe -
This makes senses when many methods of birth control work by forcing a miscarriage- a form of abortion, I suppose.
@Lynnjynh9315 - That’s certainly part of it! Glad to be of help.
Thank you for posting this.