Population Control
Britt Bee writes: Any discussion of population is a minefield and population control itself is considered a ‘wicked problem.’ Traditionally, thwarting population growth has been associated with racism and eugenics and it will take a lot of unpacking to arrive at policies that will be trusted. We all need to be very careful about being rich white people telling poor brown people that we know best about how many poor brown people there should be. A valid argument made on the issue is when representatives from poor but populous regions point out that their per capita ecological footprint is far smaller than that of Western nations. It is our lifestyle that is unsustainable, not theirs.
You have an excellent point here, but there are groups, like the Turimiquere Foundation, that have gotten past this nicely. These folks offer a range of services to improve the lives of the marginalized rural populations of northeastern Venezuela by offering a variety of programs focused on reproductive health and family planning, public education, rural livelihood, and the environment that will help them to emerge from centuries-long cycles of poverty.
Among the things this translates to is free contraception, and, upon request, free tubal ligations for women, most of whom have already had several children, in many cases 10+, and do not want any more. Everything is completely voluntary.
Their presence is regarded so highly that they have the approval of the Catholic Church, a group that is normally, of course, vehemently opposed to these forms of family planning.
I listened to Melinda Gates speak on her experiences in Africa a few years ago. She marveled, “It’s strange. All I want to talk about is disease prevention and cure; all they want to talk about is contraception.” Strange? Really? Mothers with a dozen sick and starving kids don’t want to bring more misery into the world; that doesn’t strike me as strange whatsoever.
My point is that “population control” cannot reasonably be resented if it’s requested.
