On Father’s Day, we should consider how best to improve the lives of all future fathers and their children.
It’s hard to read through this New York Times article (“Remember the Population Bomb? It’s Still Ticking”) and not see the obvious: Our world would be a much better place if the United Nations and member states had decades ago adopted a family planning model based on what children need, rather than simply what parents want.
We can begin to change that.
To start, we can lead by example. In wealthy countries like the United States (which are largely responsible for many of the problems in African countries), we can adopt the norm of smaller families that work together to invest more in each child. We can urge the United Nations and member states to change the family planning models they promote to the Fair Start model.
Consider signing the Fair Start declaration at HavingKids.org and helping all future fathers, mothers, and children!
At Having Kids:
We promote and protect every child’s right to a fair start in life by replacing unsustainable, parent-centered family planning models with the human rights-based and child-centered Fair Start family planning model. The model suggests a shift in family planning from a subjective focus on just the parents, to an objective focus that considers the interests of the potential child, the parents, and the community.
It’s all about this: Smaller families working together to give every child a fair start in life.
Today many families are adopting the Fair Start family planning model. First, they try to give their child a fair start in life by having a smaller family where they can invest more in their child. Often they also foster or adopt one of the many children eagerly waiting for parents rather than creating additional need. Second, they publicly role model their choices. Finally, these families join public advocacy campaigns to shift resources from extractive centers of power like governments, corporations, and wealthy families in order to democratically empower children and future citizens by incentivizing better family planning by all parents. Why? All parents know that the quality of their own child’s life will depend on how other parents decide to have and raise their kids.