Kerala's two-child policy draws criticism

Christian and Muslim organisations have criticised the draft of the Kerala Women's Code which restricts couples from having more than two children.

The Kerala Women's Code Bill 2011, prepared by the Commission for the Rights and Welfare of Children and Women, advocates a two-child norm in an attempt to curb population growth.

The Kerala Catholic Bishop's Council said the suggestions of the Commission were contrary to what the Church believes and expressed it was the right of a couple to decide how many children they need.

The state and religion have no right to decide how many children a couple want, commented the KCBC spokesperson Fr Stephen Althara.

The Commission, headed by Justice V R Krishna Iyer, suggests incentives to couples who restrict the number of children to two.

According to sources, the benefits include a cash incentive of up to Rs 50,000 to women who marry after the age of 19 and have their first child after the age of 20.

The Commission has also proposed that parents choosing to have a third child should be penalized and jailed. The expectant father of a third child will face three months imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000.

Furthermore, it says ethnic groups, religions, sect, tribe, caste, etc of a person should not offer inducements for bearing of more children.

The 12-member Commission recommends constitution of a Kerala State Children's Fund to meet the administrative and other expenses for the implementation of the proposals identified.

The draft of the bill which was handed over to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Saturday has suggested that all hospitals facilitate free abortion and that medically safe contraceptives be made accessible free to married couples.

The Catholic Church as well as the Orthodox Church has strongly voiced its disagreement with the bill. Besides the Church, Muslim organisations such as Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama and Dakshina Kerala Jamaiyyathul Ulama have warned of agitations.

Syro Malabar Church head Major Archbishop Mar Joseph Alencherry said that the church will launch protests against the recommendation.

The Catholic Church has been campaigning against family planning and has created incentives for Catholics to have larger families, as the Christian population was witnessing a steady decline.

As per the 2001 census, Christians made up 19 percent of Kerala's population of over 31 million, showing a drop from the 1991 census finding of 19.5 percent.

"We have received the report only on Saturday. We will discuss with everybody before acting on it," Chief Minister Oomen Chandy told reporters while commenting on the bill.