Overpopulation and Contraception

Many of these forecasts are exaggerated and do not take into account the different phases of population growth. A nation’s population may grow rapidly in the early stages of development, but with industrialisation and rising levels of education, the population tends to stabilise at the replacement rate, after an initial boom period. Even if the quoted figure of 10.7 billion by 2050 is true, this is likely to remain steady thereafter, as the developing nations of today achieve maturity. Developed, industrialised nations can use alternative methods to solve the environmental and social problems arising from overpopulation. For example, one could explore options like better redistribution of economic wealth and food, and the creation of a global market which does not disenfranchise the poor (e.g. the EU’s protectionist Common Agricultural Policy deprives developing agricultural economies of a level playing field). All available options should be exhausted before taking the drastic decision to curb reproductive rights.

There are often technical difficulties associated with implementing widespread contraception. The cost can be prohibitive, especially when considered on a national scale. Large numbers of trained workers will be required to educate the public on the correct use of contraceptives. Even with an investment in training, there is no guarantee that birth control methods will be used correctly, especially by the illiterate and uneducated – numerous anecdotal reports exist, where, for example, villagers, having seen a banana used as a prop for teaching condom use, proceeded to place their state-sponsored condoms on bananas.

In many agrarian communities, it is actually in the interests of the family to have as many children as possible. Children can be deployed to work on the farm, as a source of income. In an undeveloped nation without a good social welfare system, children can provide security in old age. Furthermore, a large number of children can be an insurance policy against child mortality, which is, sadly, very high in the developing world. Until the child mortality rate is reduced through improvements in public health and sanitation, families will lack the will to use contraception.

Women may not have a choice, even if contraception allows them the option of reproductive control. In many developing nations, there can be a cultural preference for sons over daughters, religious pressure to have as many children as possible, and a traditional male dominance in sexual relationships and family planning decisions. Birth control may not even be socially acceptable. Even if contraception allowed a woman the potential for biological control over childbearing, these factors can prevent her from exercising this new-found choice. It is also unclear if women’s rights are advanced by contraception. In reality, contraception typically forms part of a wider population control policy by national government. Such policies (e.g. China’s one-child policy), when considered as a whole, often violate the women’s rights that advocates of contraception claim to value so highly.

While birth control should be a priority in many developing nations, there are often other more pressing issues to be addressed. Improving basic healthcare and providing proper sanitation can improve the health of an entire family, in addition to reducing childhood mortality – often a major reason for parents wanting to hedge their bets by having plenty of children. Spending money on such infrastructure and services is a far better long-term investment compared to the ongoing cost of providing contraception.

Contraception is a controversial issue in both developed and developing nations. Some religions prohibit the use of contraception (e.g. the Roman Catholic Church) – this can reduce the success of birth control programmes in the developing world, and diminish the political (and thus funding) appeal of pro-contraception policies in the developed world.