Fair Start Movement

Tag: Wildlife & Animal Welfare

  • Giving To Help Kids, Animals, the Environment, or Democracy? Help Them All At Once Instead

    Giving To Help Kids, Animals, the Environment, or Democracy? Help Them All At Once Instead

    Social movements that try to protect kids, animals, the environment, and democracy tend to see themselves as distinct, and even conflicting. That’s a huge mistake. The most impactful way to further the core missions of all movements lies in making a simple change: Restructure family planning policies, universally, by 1) promoting delayed parenthood, so that people are ready to actually parent, 2) prioritizing giving all kids a Fair Start in life in any political system of resource and stakeholder redistribution, and 3) encouraging smaller families for all, something which helps enable and pay for the first two moves.

    A circular infographic titled “Fertility Delay Incentives to Planning” shows a leaf in the center with four benefits: Delayed Parenthood, Better Family Planning, Guaranteed Minimum Income, and Equal Opportunity & Education for all kids.

    For all four social movements the long-term impacts of changing the way we plan families is incomparable. In other words, long-term thinking, change, and work pays off.

    So who would be oppose this transition? Big business and big government both thrive on poor family planning, because it creates a wave of consumers, cheap future labor, and taxpayers. Both use growth to increase and concentrate their power, at cost to the development of individuals, real democracy where every voice matters, and nature. The solution? Social justice movements can unify against these concentrations of power, finding reasonable allies on both the political left and the right, who want effective reform that furthers our widely shared values, the decentralization of power, and our actually reaching sustainable development goals. Want more information? Our peer-reviewed white paper on family planning reform can be found here. 

    Want to help with this unification of social justice movements against the concentrations of power? Please consider donating to HavingKids.org, or signing up to volunteer at info@fairstartmovement.org.

  • How the Animal Rights Movement Fails Animals

    How the Animal Rights Movement Fails Animals

    The voices of animal-rights advocates have become more prominent in social justice circles, and The New Republic magazine recently pondered whether animal rights is the next frontier of the left. It’s inescapable, the argument goes, because animal rights overlap with other key elements of the progressive agenda, including environmental protection, social justice, the ravages of capitalism, and more. But loud voices are often misleading.

    Over the past several decades, the extent to which humans are driving animals into extinction, consuming them through massive factory farms, and experimenting on them in research labs has only skyrocketed.

    The emerging appearance of concern for animals has only coincided with an explosion in their suffering and death.

    Why? Because poor family planning has driven an explosion in human population over the past several decades. In that time, billions more of our species has overrun, tortured, and destroyed other species. And while many animal protection organizations raise money through claims of success, we have all failed animals if we haven’t accounted for the overwhelming negative impact of humankind’s poor family planning policies.

    An illustrated infographic showing how global warming, wildlife extinction, and farmed animals are linked to humans; it highlights the environmental impact of population growth and suggests smaller families as a solution.

    What can we do to change course and create real success?

    The first step entails reenvisioning animal rights and liberation in terms of the most aspirational versions of those concepts. Animals have a right to live and develop autonomously in the nonhuman world, truly liberated from human oppression. To ensure that requires universal family planning reforms that promote smaller and more equitable families for all of us. These reforms will leave room on our planet for nonhumans and will ensure the high levels of empathy in future generations that nonhumans need us to have in order to live and develop. That constitutes true animal rights and veganism. Veganism is not just another way to be a consumer. It’s the natural evolution of a truly inclusive form of social justice that marries animal, environmental, and human rights by moving from archaic and divisive approaches that involve welfare and aesthetics to a unifying approach that focuses on the simple limitation and decentralization of human power.

    One of the best parts? These policies are a win-win for humans as well. They ensure greater investment in each child, finally achieving the human-rights ideal of fair starts in life for all, smaller and truly democratic communities where each voice matters more, and the highest standard of environmental protection possible. Now that’s effective altruism. Had early animal-rights advocates insisted we protect nonhuman autonomy and treat the environment more as a nonhuman habitat than as a human resource, we could have avoided the climate crisis.

    Want to help animals? Go beyond being a consumer in a humanized world. Focus on the people with whom nonhumans will interact. Lock arms with other social justice movements that protect future children, equity, and the restoration of nature. And bend the qualitative arc of our species’ growth trajectory to liberate humans and nonhumans at the same time. Envision a better future — and focus on family planning reform to build it.

    Take action: If you support an animal protection organization, ensure that it signs this simple letter to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urging him to adopt Fair Start family planning reforms as essential to the international bill of human rights. If the organizations you support do not publicly take a position on family planning reform, ask them why not and urge them to. There is no legitimate form of animal protection that would allow our species to overrun all others.

  • Real Animal Rights Starts With Fair Start Family Planning

    Real Animal Rights Starts With Fair Start Family Planning

    Having Kids researchers recently published an article in Animal People Forum.

    The thesis: How could there be a coherent conception of nonhuman rights that does not account for the creation of the humans that torture, consume. and drive nonhumans into extinction? It’s hard to see how that would be possible.

    Instead, animal rights would have to start with some assessment of what the existential relationship should be between humans and nonhumans. When we engage in that assessment we find that compassion for nonhumans and humans align, and that compassion counsels us to create smaller human families, invest more in each child using equity as our guidestar, and use all means effective to dentralize bloated nation states and massive monopoly corporations into smaller democratic communities comprised of highly empathetic people capable of actual self-rule. Read the full Animal People Forum article here.

  • Connect the Dots Colorado workshop: The Most Effective Way to Help People, Animals, and the Environment

    Better family planning ranks as the most effective way to mitigate the climate and other environmental crises, protect children, and reduce inequity. It is also one of the most effective ways to protect animals, getting to the fundamental source of problems like factory farming and the disappearance of wildlife.

    From 12-1:30 Mountain Time on Thursday May 14th, 2020 there will be a virtual meeting and discussion of draft legislation that would implement Fair Start family planning in Colorado, as part of the Having Kids Connect the Dots Colorado campaign. This work builds on the theoretical discussion/planning from our 2019 George Washington University forum, https://fairstartmovement.org/forum/, and seeks to crystallize a truly human rights-based approach to family planning in Colorado.

    We believe that as tragic as COVID-19 has been, the pandemic also provides a unique opportunity to bring about changes in Colorado that could help mitigate future crises. We know that overcrowding, economic inequality, and consumption of wildlife are each drivers of epidemics, but we also know that none of these drivers can be addressed in isolation. Therefore, we need your help in connecting the dots between access to contraception, economic equity, and environmental protection as we seek to draft a comprehensive Fair Start bill for Colorado.

    A Little More about Our Model:

    Having Kids advocates for a Fair Start model that encourages parents to have smaller families and to delay having kids until they are ready. It also works to ensure that communities and governments provide the resources necessary to guarantee that all kids have a fair start in life.

    The model begins upstream to solve many of the problems that threaten our planet and future generations. Choosing smaller families is 20 times more effective at reducing climate change than adjusting dietary or transportation habits alone. The Fair Start model also helps to reduce the negative impacts on animals that come from factory farming and the degradation of animal habitats related to overcrowding.

    Advancing the Model by Promoting Economic Equity:

    Having Kids commends and supports Senator Booker’s proposal to guarantee a sustainable child income through baby bonds.  We believe that Colorado could continue this momentum by adopting a similar proposal. Given that the current pandemic has exacerbated inequality, as well as the numerous economic, health, and social benefits of waiting to have kids, we propose structuring the bonds in a way that incentivizes delaying pregnancy until at least age 25. Please see our model policy for the District of Columbia and the attached draft law review article as a guide.

    Advancing the Model by Recognizing a Right to Nature:

    One of our goals is to guarantee that every child has the right to enjoy nature. To this end, we propose amending the Colorado constitution to recognize a right to nature. This concept may sound radical, but twenty one states already recognize a constitutional right to hunt and fish.  We believe that if these states can protect an individual’s right to exploit nature, Colorado can perfect the right to enjoy nature. Several countries, including Sweden and Norway, recognize a right to “outdoor access” and can help guide a pathway forward for Colorado.

    Other Questions?

    If you have any questions or recommendations, please do not hesitate to reach out to Nicole King, a DU Law student who is helping to coordinate this event and to draft any proposed legislation. Nicole has a MA in Global Health affairs and previously worked for Colorado’s Title X family planning program, so she is excited to dive in. Please feel free to contact her at nking@crownlinellc.com or 908-420-7467. 

  • Veganism: Is it about diet or family planning?

    Veganism: Is it about diet or family planning?

    It’s really about both things. Any success in animal protection during the past century has been overridden by the suffering, death, and extinction human population growth has caused. Since the modern advent of animal rights the number of animals driven into extinction, tortured and killed for food or fur, used in horrific experiments, bred in puppy mills, and exploited and harmed in every imaginable way has exploded.

    Having Kids teamed up with UK-based Population Matters on an article urging animal advocates to act on the trend that could derail the entire movement: the ballooning human population. 

    TAKE ACTION: Add your name to our call for the United Nations to recommend smaller families.

    Animal protection has always been a factor in Having Kids’ fight to change how people think about family planning. After all, it is humans that drive the demand for industries causing animal suffering on a massive scale. But the intersection of animal protection and a small family ethic is very rarely acknowledged by animal-focused groups.

    Our new article explains why advocates must change that. And this change is truly fundamental, going well beyond protecting animals and the environment to protect kids, and help build true human rights and democracy by focus on the people that actually comprise those systems.

    Some animal-focused groups are already recognizing the need for change, including In Defense of Animals, which recently signed on to Having Kids’ letter to the United Nations for World Population Day.

    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. From plummeting biodiversity and more habitat loss to increased demands for animal agriculture, the path we choose will have an immense impact on animals.

    Read the full article on Animal People Forum for a full explanation of why family planning reform is central to any movement to improve life for animals. 

    TAKE ACTION: Add your name to our call for the United Nations to recommend smaller families.

  • Animal Rights Starts With Better Family Planning

    Animal Rights Starts With Better Family Planning

    Any success in animal protection during the past century has been overridden by the suffering, death, and extinction human population growth has caused. Since the modern advent of animal rights the number of animals driven into extinction, tortured and killed for food or fur, used in horrific experiments, bred in puppy mills, and exploited and harmed in every imaginable way has exploded.

    Having Kids teamed up with UK-based Population Matters on an article urging animal advocates to act on the trend that could derail the entire movement: the ballooning human population. 

    TAKE ACTION: Add your name to our call for the United Nations to recommend smaller families.

    Animal protection has always been a factor in Having Kids’ fight to change how people think about family planning. After all, it is humans that drive the demand for industries causing animal suffering on a massive scale. But the intersection of animal protection and a small family ethic is very rarely acknowledged by animal-focused groups. Our new article explains why advocates must change that.

    Some animal-focused groups are already recognizing the need for change, including In Defense of Animals, which recently signed on to Having Kids’ letter to the United Nations for World Population Day.

    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. From plummeting biodiversity and more habitat loss to increased demands for animal agriculture, the path we choose will have an immense impact on animals.

    Read the full article on Animal People Forum for a full explanation of why family planning reform is central to any movement to improve life for animals. 

    TAKE ACTION: Add your name to our call for the United Nations to recommend smaller families.

  • 15 Kids and Animal Cruelty: No One’s Business?

    15 Kids and Animal Cruelty: No One’s Business?

    Do you think family planning is not a community concern? Is it simply to be left to the would-be parents, and that it’s nobody else’s business? Is there is no such thing as being ready to have kids, or not have kids?

    You may want to consider stories like this:

    Horrific stories of abuse began spilling from some of the couple’s 15 children after police began investigating a case that led to a charge of assault with a deadly weapon against an adult child, according to The Associated Press. San Juan County sheriff’s detectives described the Crouch home as a house of horrors where family members were abused, tortured and forced to witness extreme animal cruelty.  A teenage daughter told police that after one of the family dogs gave birth, the mother “took the puppies and put them into a giant pot and boiled them, making all the kids watch,” according to court documents.

    It still remains to be seen whether the allegations are true. But stories like this should make us question the taboo against talking about the need by communities to support better family planning. They have a role to play in helping to ensure that would-be parents wait until they are ready to become parents and plan for smaller families to focus their attention and resources on the children they have. 

    Victims of abuse suffer lifelong trauma that hurts others as well. Their communities and future children are affected. The consequences can manifest as homelessness, criminal behavior, substance abuse, and transmission of abuse onto others. It’s not a private issue. We should all be concerned about preventing abuse.  

    Abuse happens because of poor family planning. We can be proactive rather than reactive. We can create better family planning policies. And in cases of egregious abuse, Fair Start orders can be instituted as a non-coercive solution to ensure that those parents complete rehabilitation before having more kids.

    TAKE ACTION:
    Ask Congress to amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) to include a Fair Start Amendment. 

    Email Ranking Member senator Patty Murray

  • Why Animal, Enviro, Social Justice Orgs Should Support Better Family Planning

    Why Animal, Enviro, Social Justice Orgs Should Support Better Family Planning

    Do you work with a social justice organization, like an environmental, child welfare, animal protection, or human rights group? If so, one of the best ways to further your organization’s mission in by promoting Fair Start family planning.

    Why?

    For example – many animal protection advocates focus on changing diets as a way to protect animals from the horrors of factory farming and wildlife from the horrors of climate change that is partially driven by factory farming. The impact of this approach has been completely overridden by recent population growth, which is set to continue.

    Isn’t it time to work upstream? 

    • Fair Start family planning is not just effective. It is comprehensively effective, or intersectional. It aligns environmentalism, animal protection, and human rights in one unifying campaign to reform the way we plan families. This isn’t just a matter of using words like intersectional to appear thoughtful. The creation of future generations is something that connects us all.

    Social justice organizations could magnify their impact exponentially by including family planning reform in their programming. For some organizations, there is the option of including Fair Start advocacy in their lawful civil disobedience programs. How could they do this specifically?

    In addition to current work organizations could lawfully target entities like Exxon who are harming untold numbers of children and animals through their impact on climate and other aspects of the environment, and who have special obligations to fund Fair Start family planning systems given the harm they have caused.

    It’s time to create fundamental change, and be effective and intersectional at the same time. Social justice work starts with people, and in the long run, people start with family planning. It’s time for to ensure a fair start for all kids. Learn more at HavingKids.org. 

    TAKE ACTION:
    Join us in urging the U.N. Secretary-General to issue a statement recommending sustainable family planning for World Population Day. RSVP to our event, help us share the event, and send him a message here.

     

  • World Biodiversity Day: Time to Leave Room for Animals?

    World Biodiversity Day: Time to Leave Room for Animals?

    Today is World Biological Diversity Day. What is driving mass extinction around the planet? It is poor family family planning, which has caused explosive population growth, with humans literally replacing other species around the globe. The connections are clear.

    Do you want your kids to live in a world with wildlife? You grew up in a world with giraffes, polar bears, and koalas. Do you really want your kids to live in a world where these wonderful animals are replaced with Wal-Marts and Starbucks?

    The most effective solution to mitigate species loss and dozens of other anthropogenic impacts is through policies that promote smaller families sharing resources to give every child a far start in life. Better family planning can have twenty times the impact of downstream policy changes.

    Take action: If you are a member of an environmental or animal protection organization urge them to take a position embracing smaller families and the need for better family planning policies. Break the taboo, and speak out.