Xue Ninglan (www. china.org.cn.): The regulation means to safeguard the policy of family planning, but the method of fining unmarried mothers is questionable, as experience tells that fines can't solve the problem of having more than one child. In China, everyone enjoys the right of bearing a child. Rich people are not more qualified than the poor and it's not as if you can have children as you please after paying up. Wuhan's family planning authorities seem to convey the idea that, as long as you pay a "social compensation fee," it's all right to disobey the family planning policy as well as relevant laws and regulations.

Chen Guangjiang (Changsha Evening News): Undoubtedly, childbirth out of wedlock is going against China's national policy of family planning and abusing limited childbirth quotas for qualified parents. Therefore, it's necessary to do something to cope with this social phenomenon. The question now is how to balance the authority of the law and women's basic right of childbirth.

The phenomena of "unmarried mothers" and childbirth out of wedlock result from many reasons, such as irresponsible premarital sex, "one night stands," deliberately having more than one child and even the desire for having a child without entering marriage. No matter what has happened, as long as the unmarried mother "cannot provide appropriate certificates from her partner," she will have to pay a huge price. To bear a baby and raise it is not an easy job. An unmarried mother may well slip into plight because of her baby. To impose a fine is just an added disaster. When the basic living conditions and rights of a mother and her baby are at risk, more cases of abortion and abandonment may occur. Besides, a woman is unable to bear a child alone, so why single women out for punishment while their male partners are left at large? It's unfair.

What worries the public more is, if family planning authorities only use the simple method of "fines," rich people will choose to bear more children, as they are not afraid of paying, while the poor continue to struggle. Celebrities and wealthy people always find various ways of "legally having more than one child," grabbing a large amount of social resources. How to restrain this group is the real priority.

In the face of cases violating the family planning policy, relevant departments should work out more useful methods, to produce a good result for both individuals and society as a whole in the process of implementation. Only in this way can they manage to safeguard the authority of laws and maintain social justice.

Li Liang (www.scol.com.cn): There are many reasons for the increase of "unmarried mothers." Apart from moral issues concerning "mistresses," in most cases, it's because of young people's indulgence in sex. They do this out of adolescent impulse, something not so directly connected with morality. Thus, it's improper to reprimand them too severely and even impose heavy economic burdens on them. To offer them psychological guidance and pay more attention to prevention will be more helpful to the young.

World Bank statistics show, during 2008 and 2011, the annual fertility rate among adolescent girls was 9 per thousand. These young girls are economically incapable, as even they themselves depend on their families for survival. If they are fined for bearing a baby, they will be driven into a terrible situation. Quite possibly, they will choose to abandon and even kill their children to avoid punishment and stigma.

If you do want to punish childbirth out of wedlock, it's unfair to fine the mother alone, while the father avoids accountability. In reality, in many cases, the unmarried mother has no choice but to bear the burden alone.

The phenomenon concerning unmarried mothers is a social problem, reflecting the lack of sex education, the incapability of current aid systems and also irresponsibility on the part of the "fathers." Therefore, it's unfair to impose punishments on unmarried mothers alone.

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