A proposal, tabled by 15 experts Thursday urging authorities to lift restrictions on reproduction rights and for a reform of the current family planning policy, was received by the National People's Congress (NPC) Friday.

Zhan Zhongle, professor of Peking University's Law School, one of the main initiators and drafters of the proposal told the Global Times that the NPC had taken the proposal on board but not yet commented on it.

Zhan and other 14 experts and scholars in law, demographic research and economics jointly wrote the letter pressuring the NPC.

"We think reproductive rights are one of the most basic human rights and the core of that right is that people should be able to freely decide to have a child or not," Zhan said.

However, Zhan said the current family planning policy, which revolves around limiting the number of children people can have and collecting fines from violators, was actually against a 2004 constitutional amendment which clearly states that basic human rights would be respected and assured by the government.

"The family planning policy was formulated against a certain historical backdrop but needs to be modified today," Zhan said.

China's family planning policy was confirmed as State policy in 1982. However, as the years have passed, its demographic benefits have been replaced by criticism of exacerbating China's aging problem and accusations of it violating human rights.