One of the main reasons that some people avoid talking about population is
because they believe that birth control is in some way against the word of God.
In contemporary America, some Fundamentalist Christians hold this belief quite
strongly. But for all the emotions this generates, and for all the certainty
that people sometimes express, there is nothing in the Bible, Old Testament
or New, which discusses birth control.
That's kind of important. The Bible contains injunctions against many, many
things, such as eating pork. It contains admonitions to sell all one's belongings
and give all proceeds to the poor. It contains 22 references to God's prohibition
against making loans for interest (usury). And it contains injunctions that
thieves should repay double that which they have stolen. But even though various
contraceptive measures were known in the ancient world, there is nothing against
birth control. It would be better to follow the teachings that are in
the Bible than to worry about things that are not.
There is one passage in the Bible that is sometimes quoted to show that God
is against birth control, and that is the story of Onan, son of Judah. But when
you read it, you find it is about something quite different. Here's the story.
In Genesis (38) after Judah's first son was killed, he told his second son "(8)
Go in unto thy brother's wife (Tamar), and marry her, and raise up seed to thy
brother. (9) And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass,
when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest
that he should give seed to his brother. (10) And the thing which he did displeased
the Lord: wherefore he slew him." (King James version)
It was Onan's failure to impregnate his brother's wife that was displeasing
to God. Under the law (Deuteronomy 25:5-10) that child would have been his brother's
child, not his. He broke the law by not "giving seed to his brother," that is,
fathering a child that would not have been legally his. It would not have mattered
whether Onan went into the tent and pretended to have sex with Tamar, or flat-out
refused. Either way, he would have been disobeying the will of God and would
have been killed.
So, it is misleading to quote this story as saying something about birth
control, rather than about legal parentage of children and brotherly responsibility,
as was the original intent.
So Christians and Jews who take the Bible literally as the word of God cannot
really find any reason there to oppose birth control. And given the population
crisis which is looming over our planet, perhaps we can honor instead God's many
injunctions to take care of His beautiful creation and His creatures which live
upon it, over which he has given us dominion and which He commanded that we
rule with care.
Abortion
People often assume that the discussion about birth control must somehow include
taking sides with regards to abortion. But that's not really so. Birth control
is critical to empowering humanity to choose the size of our population. But
abortion accounts for only a tiny fraction of avoided births. Birth control
empowers individual people to decide the size they want for their own families,
and is a necessary means for us to be good stewards of God's creation.
Still, for all the controversy about abortion, it is amazing that there is
absolutely nothing in the Bible about it. We know that various herbs and procedures
were available in Biblical times. But if God or Jesus thought it was as important
as some people today seem to think, wouldn't they have said something pretty
major about it? After all, the Bible contains 22 references to the prohibition
on usury, but most preachers and politicians think nothing about getting bank
loans, then why are they so negative about some trapped family having to make
the painful personal decision to terminate a pregnancy?
Some people act as if they know what God thinks about birth control and abortion,
but much of the true wisdom of the Bible is that the mind of God, and God's plan for
the future, is unknowable and anyone who claims differently is not to be trusted.
We at HowMany.org believe it is quite possible to support population control
and birth control without condoning - or even debating - abortion.
It is ours to choose what kind of world this will be in 20 or 40 years. It
is ours to choose whether our grandchildren will live with chronic shortages
of food and water, packed into high-rise apartment buildings, or whether they
can walk the fields and see the stars at night. And since the choice is ours,
we might as well choose the best possible future for ourselves and for them.
This may at times require sacrifices, such as not having large numbers of children.
But this is what God asked from us when He gave us this wonderful planet.
We all want to care for the children we do have. Contraception really helps prevent
child mortality. Child mortality would decline by 13 percent if all women could delay their next
pregnancy by at least 24 months and would decline by 25 percent if women could delay for 36 months.
The Rio Agenda: Population is Part of Sustainability
January 17, 2012 - Read our latest blog post on why addressing population is critical at the upcoming Rio UN conference on sustainable development [populationgrowth.org]
[archive]
Who is Your State's Biggest GHG emitter?
The EPA releases a new online mapping tool to track sources of greenhouse gas emissions
- Jan 11, 2012
[article]
[comment]
Overpopulation at its worst?
In the Congo's capital, parents only feed their children every other day.
Demand U.S. contribute
to U.N. contraceptive program!
- Jan 10, 2012
[article]
[comment]
Japan's economy stronger than USA's
This is usually obfuscated by using total GDP to measure growth, but per-capita GDP is stronger
in Japan.
- Jan 3, 2012
[article]
[comment]
Slower Population Growth
in USA but some lament loudly, as if Arizona and Nevada don't have enough houses and
people yet. What is enough? - Dec 22, 2011
[article]
[comment]
Durban Climate Talks
Dec 12, 2011 - Not much accomplished. People in 50 years will wonder
"what were they thinking" just squabbling over who caused the leaks in
the boat rather than all bailing together.
[article]
[comment]
Plan to Widen Availability of Morning-After Pill Is Rejected
December 7, 2011 - Obama Administration overrules FDA decision that emergency contraceptives be sold freely over the counter.
[New York Times]
[archive]
The Birth Control Solution
November 2, 2011 - Nick Kristof of the New York Times on why family planning is one solution to many of our pressing problems, from climate change to poverty.
[New York Times]
[archive]
Growthbusters: Hooked on Growth
Howmany.org cosponsors Berkeley screening on November 15th. Growthbusters is a new documentary that raises questions about the public policy goals of economic and population growth, and their relationship to social and environmental health and well-being.
[Event Details]
Ecological Economics in a World of 7 Billion
On November 10th, HowMany.org presents Randy Hayes, founder of Rainforest Action Network, for a talk in Berkeley
addressing ecological economics and the impacts of overpopulation, overconsumption and globalization
[Flyer]
[Article: The Growth Paradigm]
Revisiting Population Growth: The Impacts of Ecological Limits
October 13, 2011 - Robert Engelman, president of Worldwatch Institute, on accepted predictions of population growth in a rapidly changing global environment
[Yale Environment 360]
[archive]
Women Urge Others to go Public About Abortions
October 13, 2011 - Powerful Bay Area Republican builds support for candor on family planning
[San Francisco Chronicle]
[archive]
Cut and Run: Costs of Not Supporting Family Planning
October 13, 2011 - HowMany.org's Suzanne York discusses the latest threat to population funding
and the importance of access to family planning services
[SFGate blog]
[archive]
One Child Families in India
Our own Suzanne York describes a rising preference for smaller families as more Indians
become middle class.
[SFGate blog]
[archive]
Gretchen Daily, Nature's Economist
Protecting the environment by quantifying the economic benefits we derive from
it. A critical way to reach economists, politicians and business people who need to see
practical consequences of their actions.
[original]
[comments]
Enter the Anthropocene
August 2011 - The Age of Man. A name for a new geologic epoch, one defined by our own massive impact on the planet.
Effects will endure in the geologic record long after our cities have crumbled.
[original]
[comments]
Anne Ehrlich weighs in on sustainability
August 2011 - What to do? Stop the denial.
Perpetual growth is the creed of a cancer cell, not a sustainable human society.
[original]
[comments]
Halloween 2011 is Scary
July 2011 - It's the Day World Population Surpasses 7 Billion. Halloween comes from
a Celtic festival marking the end of Summer's plenty and the beginning of Winter's
austerity. What is in store for our planet now?
[original]
[comments]
David Attenborough
July, 2011 - "Half a century ago, the WWF was formed to help save endangered
animals. Today, it's human beings who are increasingly at risk, through overpopulation
and food scarcity." - Very informative article!
[original]
[comments]
Al Gore video sparks Right-wing Frenzy
June, 2011 - the Fox Fear Factory generates really weird criticisms of Gore's comment that
empowering women not only good for us all, but also helps us be good stewards of our planet
[original]
[comments]
The Earth is Full
June, 2011 - Thomas Friedman - The title says it all. Maybe now that Friedman has broken the ice,
a few others can also say that the Emperor (of endless, thoughless growth) has no clothes!
[original]
[comments]
Cities Face Long Wait for Jobs to Return
June, 2011 -
Many jobs have left. But regions that provide employment by building residential
housing fall into a vicious cycle, drawing more people to the region to
compete for existing jobs. Promote jobs for existing residents first.
in the region.
[original]
[comments]
The Population Illusion
May, 2011 -
The "YouChooseBayArea" juggernaut is selling the illusion that 2.2 million people
will move here and we "have to" put them somewhere. Not true. If we choose to
raise our population by that much, our Global Footprint will rise by at least 25%
[article]
[archive]
U.N.Predicts 10.1 billion people by 2100 May -
This article corrects some common mis-perceptions about population. It is growing rapidly, but
can be slowed by easy access to contraception, better education for women, and
changing social norms.
[article]
[archive]
Delta Water Plan Flawed May -
About 25 million residents, millions of acres of farmland and the fisheries of the Delta
rely on Delta water. The latest by-pass tunnel plan is full of holes, says panel of
experts.
[article]
[archive]
China's Population Growth Slows April -
National Bureau of Statistics says that the slowed rate of population growth has
"eased the pressure on resources and the
environment and laid a relatively good foundation for steady and rapid economic and social
growth.
[article]
[archive]
"
You Choose Bay Area"
??? March 2011 - The Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the
Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the MTC have a plan to put 2.2 million people more people in the Bay Area by 2035. They are seeking public comment.
We choose not to have 900,003 more households!
Let them know what you think! [article]
Resisting Dickensian Gloom
by Tony Recsei. Forced high density policies don't reduce our carbon footprint or
energy use. This is a very well researched article summarizing many studies. It
was posted on a "smart growth" blog and many people have commented.
Facinating reading.
[article]
[archive]
New Anti-Abortion Math April -
Gail Collins writes of the emotional anti-abortion, anti-birth control politics in Texas and the
effects on education and health care. The is why we all need to become aware of what
overpopulation is doing to our environment and our lives.
[article]
[archive]
Reversing China's One-child Policy? - April -
As the government experiments with encouraging more births, many parents prefer to
have just one child to give them better chances.
[article]
[archive]
Looking Out for the View - April 2011 -
Thanks to local homeowners and several land trusts, a beautiful streach of the
Hudson River in New York has been saved from a nuclear power plant,
a gas-fired power plant, and a cement plant. Olana Partnership.
[article]
[archive]
Are Malthus's Predictions coming true? - April 2011 -
Jeffrey Sachs' good overview. His main point is that all the technological innovations since
Malthus's day we have converted rich stores of natural capital into high flows of
current consumption. We note that more people live on the edge of starvation today
than were alive in Malthus'time.
[article]
[archive]
Vitality of Independent Local
Businesses Feb, 2011 - Ranking of 363 metro regions.
Ocean City, NJ; Bellingham, WA; Medford, OR top the list.
Owners of local businesses care more about their regions than do corporate officials
2000 miles away.
[article]
[archive]
Smart Growth: The Worst Kind of Sprawl?
Studies find that urban construction is no better for the environment
than the suburban. People have pretty much the same
global footprint either way. Transportation is a small part of it, and is offset
by extra resources to build high rises.
[article]
[archive]
Tikopia: Living within Limits Feb, 2011 -
The history of the Pacific island Tikopia shows that when humans are confronted with
obvious limits to
our resources, we are smart enough to constrain our population and enjoy
comfortable, prosperous lives.
[article]
[archive]
NPR interview of National Geographic's 7 Billion
and Counting. Feb 2011 -
Lots of good information, especially about India, but a
strong accomodationist bias. Why not focus on reducing our
numbers to where all people can live prosperously and not overload the planet's resources
and environmental systems?
[article]
[archive]
300 Years of Fossil Fuels in 300 Seconds, Jan 2011 -
Great(!) video on the history and effects of humanity's use of fossil fuels. As supplies
dwindle relative to our population, what will we do?
[short video]
Conjectures on Human Growth Limits, Jan 2011 -
Ross McCluney's classic survey of ways to address the question of the best population size
for our Planet. Hint: it depends on how we want to live...
[archive]
Mother: Caring our Way out of the
Population Dilemma, Jan 2011 -
The film follows Beth, an American mother who comes from a Catholic family of 12 and has adopted
an African-born daughter as she
travels to Ethiopia where she meets Zinet, the oldest daughter of a desperately poor family
of 12. Zinet has found the courage to break free from thousand-year-old-cultural barriers,
and their encounter will change Beth forever.
[trailer]
[archive]
Internal U.S. migration slows, Jan 2011 -
Interesting data, biased perspective. The Brooking Institute bemoans stalled "Brain Gain", but that's a stalled
"Brain Drain" everywhere else.
[article]
[archive]
Japan Keeps a high wall for Foreign Labor, Jan 2011 -
don't want population growth, no matter what the world's business pundits say.
They will face the "horrors" of a falling population:
lower housing costs, relatively more jobs available at higher wages, less traffic, less polution,
less construction, less lost open space. What do you think?
[article]
[archive]
Developers Prosper Despite Defaults, Jan 2011 -
Why do they build what is not wanted or needed?
"Capital is blind. It will go wherever it can for a return. That's it in a nutshell."
[article]
[archive]
9 Billion by 2045, Can the Planet take the
strain? National Geographic, Jan 2011. Interesting interviews with various people.
[article]
[archive]
Teenage Birth Rate falls due to Recession, Dec 2010- Teen birth rates drop 6%..
[article]
[archive]
Traffic in Beijing is Worst in World, Dec 2010-.
The speed of traffic at rush-hour is dropping towards 9mph, bicycle speed, back where it was
20 years ago when people actually rode bicycles.
[article]
[archive]
Supply of Places to Fish is Dwindling, Dec 2010-. Fish are a very important protein source, but the oceans are one of the commons that are being overused due to increased population and consumption.
[article]
[archive]
The Moral Right to Set Limits, Dec -
To me, it seems right for us each to protect the positive qualities of our own region, the only place where we have even a modicum of the political ability to do so. But there is always a nagging question about that...
[article]
Enough Is Enough, Nov 2010 -
Report on the first Steady State Economy Conference in Leeds, UK.
How an economy can provide prosperous lives for the
World's peoples if population stops growing.
[article]
Opposition to Power Line at Fjord Runs Deep, Nov 11 -
A beautiful place. Why run a high-tension power line with 125
foot towers through the middle of it? Another toll of increasing population.
[article]
[archive]
Aquifers: Deep Waters Slowly Drying Up, Oct 2010
Groundwater provides about half the planet's drinking water.
Farmers pump, oblivious of others' actions and the impact of their own.
Much of the water is used in inefficient irrigation; and for
low-value crops. About half of the aquifers straddle borders.
[article]
[archive]
Saying No to 'I Do', the Economy, Sept 2010
People are having fewer marriages and babys due to the poor Economy.
Population growth is not a inevitable force of Nature.
Let's retool the
Economy so as not to demand endless (imaginary) growth.
[article]
[archive]
Birth Control over Baldness, Sept 2010 -
New contraceptives could be a powerful tool in fighting global poverty.
Amazing that the N.Y.Times would publish such an OpEd. I've assumed
there is a ban on discussing the Link.
[article]
[archive]
Top 50 Birth Control Blogs.
Sept 2010.
Grouped by Educational, Methods, Population Issues, Reproductive Rights, Religious,
Ethnic & Local issues.
[article]
[archive]
Nobody Ever Dies of Overpopulation, Garret Hardin
or do they? Much of the Pakistani land which
flooded in 2010 is floodplain which was marshland that was
only settled in the last 30 years...
[article]
[archive]
How many People can live on Planet Earth Sept, 2010
Sir David Attenborough asks this question in
this fascinating video (YouTube).
Risks of Deep Water Drilling 2010/08/30
Population pressure forces us to take risks we cannot control with deeper and
more complex drilling worldwide.
[article]
[archive]
Pakistan: Drowning today, Parched tomorrow 2010/08/16
Pakistan's fast-growing population has a very
uncertain outlook for future water supply. Sharing the waters
of the Indus River is a major source of conflict between Pakistan and India.
The U.S. may support a $12 billion agricultural and hydroelectric project.
[article]
[archive]
Population surge outstrips efforts to eradicate slums
227 million people escaped slum conditions between 2000 and 2010. However, due to population increase
and urban migration the number of slum dwellers increased from 776 million to 827 million.
[article]
Teen pregnancy fashion?
Will trendy advertising
for cute pregnancy clothes encourage teenage girls to think it's cool to be pregnant?
"Forever 21" with 400 stores and 12,000 employees just introduced such a line.
Call their corporate offices 213-741-5100 (& 888-494-3837)
and let them know what you think.
[article]
Climate Change:
Calling Planet Birth
Family size is the great unmentionable in the campaign for more environmentally friendly lifestyles.
Having 1 less child in the US would reduce carbon emissions 19 times more than
all the E.P.A.'s recommended actions combined. -
[article]
The Critics Deconstructed Intersting article about the attacks against population activists,
and the need for population awareness
[article]
The Last Taboo What unites the Vatican, lefties, conservatives,
environmentalists and scientists in a conspiracy of silence?
Read
The Last Taboo
by Julia Whitty in the June 2010 issue of
Mother Jones: "Who's to Blame for the Population Crisis?"
Drop in Birthrates in 2008 is Linked to Recession -Apr 2010
Population growth is not inevitable. When incentives favor postponing having children,
many people do.
[article]
Smart Growth? the smart alternative is No Growth
Although city planners are trained to call some patterns of growth 'smart',
in many areas the only truely smart alternative is No Growth
[article]
Parting the Waters - mid-East wars over Water Rights - March 31, 2010.
30 of the 37 Wars over Water in the past 60 years involve Israel and its neighbors.
Fewer people living in these desert regions would leave more water per person. This should
inform the population policies of all countries involved.
[article]
A Pivotal Moment: Population, Justice & The Environmental Challenge
Dec 23,2009 This new book compiled by Laurie Mazur discusses environmental issues as they affect
equality, justice and sustainability. Regarding the UN's low and high estimates for World
population in 2050 "if we take seriously the twin imperatives of sustainablilty and equity, it
becomes clear that it would be easier to provide a good life - at less environmental cost - for
8 rather than almost 11 billion people."
[Press Release]
