Maternal Health and the Relaxation of the One-Child Policy in China, 2004-2015
The recent termination of China?s one-child policy provides a unique opportunity to analyze the maternal health effects of the draconian measures used to regulate population size. Three hypotheses are proposed: 1) the one-child policy was associated with the widespread use of coercive tactics, so the relaxation of this policy will result in improved maternal health outcomes; 2) a widespread maternal healthcare infrastructure was created to facilitate this a large-scale population control program, so the relaxation of this policy will result in reduced access to care and decreased maternal health outcomes; or 3) the strength of family planning interventions will not play a significant role in explaining maternal health outcomes. A comparative analysis of Beijing and Hebei province combined with a statistical analysis of province-level data from 2004 through 2015 showed that once province, year, percent of women with a high school or college degree, and per capita gross regional product have been accounted for, the birth rate and family planning index have no effect on maternal mortality ratios.