Population Decisions – Part II

Posted on November 9, 2009
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What Are The Decisions?

Fred Westmark

Most people views decisions in black and white terms – either or. One decision, in most people’s mind, should cover all the issues. Decisions about population are not one-sided. The issue is very complex.

If a nation’s government is going to control breeding, the first question is how many people should the nation have? Can a mathematical formula be devised to determine the ultimate correct size of a country’s population? Should the country’s numbers be viewed in isolation or part of the greater whole of the Earth?

Ethnic and racial minorities are always a problem for governments. Minorities will want their breeding rights and their own identity. How many people of ethnic origin should be allowed? Should the majority have a say in the size of the group?

What criteria should be used to determine population size? Most people follow some religion. As a result, the religious leaders will have something to say about breeding and the size of families. Some religions prohibit birth control and encourage large families. Should they be given greater leeway?

Some countries are threatened by other countries for various reasons: ethnic, religious, racial, ideological, and so on. Should these threatened countries be allowed to grow their population to counter belligerent neighbors?

Ultimately, all decisions narrow down to the size of the population. Should the population be allowed to continue to grow? Should the population be reduced? Or should the population remain static at current levels?

Growth means continued overpopulation which is the Earth’s problem in the first place. Leaving population at current levels means population will produce one or two children per family, simply replacing the people that die. Current birth control methods will be sufficient to maintain the status quo. Or governments could coerce people to limit family size.

But what if the Earth’s governments decide to reduce the population? How does Earth achieve reduction? And, by how much? Who should decide the breeding fate of millions, nay billions, of people? Is there a magic formula that can answer the reduction question?

Many methods are available today to reduce the population. Will people accept the inevitable? Not all methods are acceptable.

Next Part III – Population Reduction Methods