A recent article in the New York Times reported that unwed mothers are the new face of poverty, often attempting to raise children on one meager salary; of course, the health, education and socialization of their children tend to suffer in concert. Another report, on PBS, called attention to the alarming incidence of AIDS in African Americans, including heterosexual women in developed countries. Finally, numerous studies have demonstrated an inverse relationship between the economic vitality and health of a population and its average number of children per household.
Beyond the impact of these economic and health problems on human society, uncontrolled population growth is having a serious and potentially irreversible impact on natural ecosystems. Deforestation, pollution, overfishing, resource depletion, habitat destruction and, at least to some extent, global warming, are all consequences of our unbridled reproductive rate. Of course, the welfare of human society is tied directly to the health of our natural environment.
Countering efforts to educate the populace about these issues and to provide condoms and other forms of birth control to those in need are conservative religious and political organizations that oppose the programs. Catholic dogma associates sexual activity solely with procreation, implying that it is otherwise hedonistic and evil (despite the actions of its own clergy) while Conservative Republicans, want to eliminate public support for programs such as Planned Parenthood. Unfortunately, the power and influence of these groups leads to unnecessary human suffering, places additional stress on the world economy and poses a significant threat to natural ecosystems across the globe.
