Women's rights leaders as well as Christian and Muslim organizations have criticized a new Kerala state police that restricts couples from having more than two children. The new stipulations were passed in the Kerala Women's Code Bill 2011 and was prepared by the Indian state's Commission for the Rights and Welfare of Children and Women. The move comes as India continues to witness a population boom and state governments are looking at ways to curtail the explosion. But not everyone is pleased with the new bill. 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,” said 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 reports from India, 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 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. BM
