Yesterday, Bloomberg added to the chorus of demographic decline alarmism. This time, the authors don’t even make an attempt at subtlety. “Population growth is vital for the world economy.” Yep, it’s about money.
Corporate interests exercise influence in the media and over politicians to promote higher fertility. And economists’ solution to the global trend toward smaller families? Put the burden on women to have more children and to work more. As if they don’t shoulder enough already.
Family planning, for most of our species’ history, has involved thinking that bigger is better. It’s a patriarchal perspective, showcased by tycoons who push women to have more kids, despite how doing so will exacerbate the climate crisis. More kids mean more consumers, a larger workforce to supply a cheaper labor force, and complaint taxpayers.
And for these regressive thinkers, the Earth is still a resource to be divvied up and owned. Big business and big government supporters both love growth and their attack dogs are brutal haters. They are targeting people for simply asking questions about population growth in a presidential town hall. They don’t care about democracy, which has always required smaller communities of highly developed people. For big family supporters, strength, size, and the exploitation of future generations, or power rather than reason, is the goal.
There is a way out. We can confront this greed and create the freedom that comes with true human rights and democracy. Fair Start family planning does just that. It puts children first and enables would-be parents to raise children in a safe and habitable world. It is the most effective way to improve child welfare, reduce the gap of economic inequity, and protect our environment. In fact, it is ten-to-twenty times more effective than downstream alternatives such as choosing a Prius or a vegan diet.
Here’s how it works:
Communities ensure that parents have the resources to plan families and guarantee kids a fair start in life. Each of us delay parenthood until we are financially and emotionally ready, and we then choose to have small and sustainable families that put less demand on our shared resources and our world.
Here’s the best part.
We are giving all kids a fair start in life AND doing what is most effective to mitigate climate change. It’s a win/win for all, as our world should be! Fair Start planning is a community approach to creating a world we all want to live in for generations to come.
