China Imagines Future Without Birth Restrictions

China has scrapped several family planning government departments, fueling speculation that the country may be on the verge of ending its decades-old restrictions on family size.

The National Health Commission is replacing three offices that had “family planning” in their names with a new “population monitoring and family development” office, according to a plan announced on Sunday.

Chinese social media users immediately began predicting that the changes were a sign the government will abolish its existing two-child limit for married couples, and even switch soon to a policy of promoting multiple births.