Population Growth
When formulating the plan for our new world, it was understood that there are limited resources available on this planet, and without some restrictions on human reproduction, overpopulation could transform our world once again into angry groups competing for resources. Although the world today has a population of over eight billion people, estimates vary widely about Earth's long term capacity to maintain human life. It was agreed though, that with our current measures to conserve land, water, and resources, and to virtually cease production of toxic airborne pollutants, that the Earth could sustain its current population of eight billion people indefinitely.
It was therefore agreed that our goal would be to maintain our population at this level with "zero population growth". This policy decision was initially met with great hostility, even after explaining the benefits to each and every person by avoiding increasing Man's number. Eventually the majority of citizens came to understand that they would be able to carry on their family names and still enjoy an unprecedented quality of life by adhering to this policy.
Even with such good intentions, we were faced with the difficult task of developing a system for monitoring births and avoiding unintentional conception. We wished to control the size of our population without encouraging citizens to hide births or seek abortion to avoid punishment. Abortion was a value that our world chose not to adopt.
Each married couple is allowed two children. In the event of a divorce, each partner is credited with one child towards their quota. If a divorced women marries a divorced man and each bring with them one child credit to the new marriage, they cannot have any further children. If the mother of two children dies, and her husband remarries another childless woman, the new couple could have one more child. If a married couple were to lose one of their children before the age of eighteen years, they would be allowed to have another child.
Out of wedlock births follow the same rules; DNA analysis of the baby is used if necessary to determine the father of the baby. Both parents are credited with one child whether or not they become married. Parents who are incompetent or who chose to give their children up for adoption are still credited with the births of those children.
Obviously, not all couples are able to have children, and some choose not to. These statistics, as well as the annual birth rate, are studied, and each year a number of extra births are allowed to compensate for the loss of population. The privilege to conceive another child is awarded to married couples by random lottery.
it is unlawful in our world to coerce anyone to conceive a child against their wishes. This law was adopted to prevent church and minority leaders from pressuring individuals to have more children to "advance their kind". These actions are punished severely.
Birth control is made readily to all citizens of childbearing age. We have no laws which require use of birth control, but it is understood that each man and women is responsible for their actions and inactions. Due to the limitations placed on family size, most adults do elect to undergo reversible sterilization until they are ready to conceive, and again after they have achieved two births.
Some citizens are members of religious groups whose doctrines do not allow birth control or sterilization. They are not excused from their responsibilities to limit their reproduction. Likewise, while churches are allowed to encourage their congregation to reproduce to their legal capacity, they are not permitted to teach their followers to "go forth and multiply" beyond those limits.
In many cultures there has historically been pressure for a couple to produce a male child to carry on the family name. In our world this is not an issue. When a couple marries, they may take the bride's surname, or the grooms. Furthermore, their children may be given either of the parents' surnames or they may even carry on the name of one of the four grandparents.