HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam abolished its long-standing two-child limit Tuesday to try and reverse declining birth rates and ease the pressures of an aging population. The National Assembly passed amendments scrapping rules that limit families to having one or two children, state media Vietnam News Agency reported Wednesday.

The move responded to a record-low birth rate that has persisted below population replacement levels for three years,

A declining birth rate led lawmakers to approve a new policy on Tuesday that lifts the limit on the number of children many families may have.