What's the buzz

The amended Law of Protection of Rights and Interests of the Elderly has taken effect from this month. The amended law stipulates that people must visit their elderly parents regularly if they do not live with them, sparking a public debate. Following is China Daily's mobile phone news readers' opinions on the law:

People are obliged to visit their elderly parents often, that is, if they don't live with them. But now that this obligation has become law, new problems will emerge. For instance, how often do people have to visit their parents to make it "regular". Also, I don't believe parents will drag their children to court for not visiting them "regularly". Therefore, I doubt whether it will feasible to enforce the law.

KUN, Taiyuan, Shanxi province

I support the new regulation law. It will compel people to visit their elderly parents more often and take care of their material and spiritual needs. After all, it is the duty of people to visit and take care of their parents. Please visit your parents regularly.

XIAONAI, Fuzhou, Fujian province

It is the duty of the young, in fact, the entire society, to take care of elderly people. So it is unfair to force grown-up children alone to take care of the elderly while neglecting society's duty. The thrust of social development should be to help free people of burdens and make taking care of parents an emotional need. It may be difficult, but that is what I expect from future social development. In my opinion, the government should seriously think of setting up a trustworthy pension system that would take care of elderly people's needs.

A READER, Jinchang, Gansu province

An aging population may be a social problem, but many people have indeed failed to take care of their parents, although the reasons can be varied. The amended law gives priority to the need of elderly people and attempts to cultivate a human-oriented society, which indeed should be our long-term goal.

PUGONGYING, Haikou, Hainan province

Although I support the amended law, it is difficult to enforce it. I am a resident of Shandong province but work in Jiangsu province. So, at best, I can visit my parents only twice a year. There are two reasons why I cannot visit them more often. One, for me, public holidays exist only on paper. And two, it costs a lot of money to travel from Jiangsu to Shandong.

A READER, Yangzhou, Jiangsu province

Many people cannot visit their elderly parents because there are few public holidays. And when they get long holidays, they find it difficult to book a train ticket back home. As for the rest of the year, unless an employee's family member is seriously ill, no employer would grant him/her leave. Therefore, the government has to ensure that employers get enough holidays to visit their parents regularly.

A READER, Baotou, Inner Mongolia autonomous region

It is traditional Chinese virtue to respect and take care of parents so a law should not be used to compel people to do so. If parents and their children do not get along well, the law might complicate their relationship further. And it will be more embarrassing for parents if their children refuse to visit or take care of them even after they drag them to court.

RUOYU, Qingdao, Shandong province

(China Daily 07/15/2013 page9)