Kerala Bill moots fine on couples with over 2 kids

In what could likely emerge as another point of contention between the CPI(M)-led Left Government in the state and organised religions...

In what could likely emerge as another point of contention between the CPI(M)-led Left Government in the state and organised religions, the Kerala Law Reforms Commission has mooted that a fine of Rs 10,000 be imposed on couples with more than two children. The draft also suggests several other stringent ‘deterrent’ measures to encourage birth control.

Kerala Law Secretary P S Gopinathan told The Indian Express that the chairman of the Commission, Justice V R Krishna Iyer, has got the Kerala Family Planning and Birth Control Bill drafted and has submitted it for the Government’s perusal. The 11-member committee has not yet discussed the suggestions in detail, and further action will be taken only after it does so, added Gopinathan, also the member secretary of the Commission.

In order to dissuade couples from having more children, the draft suggests that the third child in the family should not be given any financial assistance for his/her education and health, and will also be deprived of many other benefits offered to children from nuclear families. Sources in the Commission said the draft has been prepared in tune with the birth control policy of the Government of India.

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Unsurprisingly, the proposed measures have already generated heat in the state. The draft comes close on the heels of a pro-life campaign by Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC), asking members of the faith to produce more children as the size of the community is shrinking due to migration and birth-control measures adopted by Catholic families. The proposed bill, it claims, violates the fundamental rights of human beings. “Such a law would infringe upon a person’s freedom. Each family has to decide its size, depending on the financial background and health of couples. We are promoting responsible parenthood,” said KCBC family commission secretary Fr Jose Kottayil.

The Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, the supreme body of Muslim clerics that also oversees madrasas in Kerala, echoed similar sentiments. “Children are gifts of God. No government can interfere in that matter. In a society, where many couples are being nagged by infertility, the suggestion is in bad taste. The community will oppose it,” said Manu Musaliyer, the Samastha’s education board secretary.