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Should the U.S. Fund Family Planning Abroad?
by John Barry
Thursday, May 11, 2000 On May 11, at 5:05 AM, India's population reached one billion with the birth of Ashta Arora. The newborn was immediately swarmed by about 200 journalists, some of whom had to be beaten back from the mother's bed with truncheons. The count may not have been exact, but the occasion gave many pause for thought. Every day, 42,000 children are born in India. Since 1948, when the newly formed Indian government began trying to reduce the rate of population increase, population has tripled. The increase is generally among the lower class, where children are considered a hedge against poverty in old age, and where birth control is virtually nonexistant. By 2050, it's estimated that India's population will reach 1.5 billion, and at that point it is also expected to surpass China as the world's most populous country. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was developed to combat the overpopulation problem by promoting birth control in India and other developing countries. Formed in 1969, it emphasizes family planning and sex education as a way of controlling population growth in poorer countries where birth rates are increasing. It tries to spread its message on a local level, in response to immediate problems and social pressures. In Honduras, for instance, the UNFPA is setting up reproductive health clinics, which will educate sexually active single women who aren't currently using contraceptives on how to do so. In Zimbabwe, where AIDS infects about 25 percent of the population, peer programs teach young people about "safe sex." | |
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