In an open letter sent today, Having Kids is urging the star of Tully, UN Messenger of Peace, and model parent Charlize Theron to break a universal taboo and call for a change to family planning laws, worldwide. Her public statements about parenting, UN title, and courageous portrayals of the lives of women in her films make her an ideal candidate to lead a change. The letter said this:
That is why we are writing to ask you to break a universal taboo, and in your words and own way, speak out publicly for the worldwide need for a better family planning model, one that prioritizes the needs of future children and the universal value of smaller, more sustainable, and truly equitable families.
The facts are clear:
- The most effective way to address many of the impacts on our environment and other species, like climate change, is by choosing smaller families. Yes, it’s more effective than changing diet or forms of transportation.
- By 2100 world population could vary by billions of people, depending on whether the average woman in the world today has one child more or one child fewer in her lifetime.
- Our current family planning systems provide no minimum standard of wellbeing for future children, allowing children to be born into failing state systems because their parents cannot care for them. That exacerbates inequality, and ensures rich kids stay rich and poor kids stay poor.
- Celebrities, whether they like it or not, can provide influential role modeling for others when it comes to family planning decisions.
- Child-first family planning provides a clear human rights-based solution and path forward. It’s sustainable and equitable, and reflected in the worldwide trend towards smaller families that can invest more in each child and ensure a safer future.
Anne Green, Executive Director of Having Kids, said this to Ms. Theron: “We stand ready to assist you in any way we can, but are confident that you will find the best way to do this.”
For more information, please visit HavingKids.org