China May Drop 1-Baby Law

China, faced with an aging population and too few women, may end its controversial one- child-per-family policy. The law that allowed urban couples only one child and rural families two is credited with preventing 400 million births over three decades. But cultural preferences for males has also created a troubling gender imbalance as millions of female fetuses have been aborted, reports the Guardian.

Officials are concerned, however, that lifting rules could create a "free for all," said one observer. Beijing officials are adamant that some controls must stay in place. "This has really become a big issue among decision makers," said a family planning official. "We want to have a transition from control to relaxation incrementally." (More China stories.)