Letters
February 3rd 2011
Re: “Procreation is a bad idea” (Jan. 27, page 9)
This letter is in response to Procreation is a bad idea, published January 27th 2011.
Katerina Tefft’s scolding of procreation is unfounded in demographics, statistics and facts.
Her assertion that “our planet’s biosphere cannot sustain the ballooning human population” is the same alarmist lie that has been delivered for over 30 years from many environmentalists.
Indeed, the exact same argument was used in the 1970s when the world population was hardly even five billion. The global population recently hit seven billion humans, without an apocalyptic demise of the environment or mass human extinction.
As well, human population growth has been rapidly decreasing. According to the UN, the world birth rate has plummeted from a high of 4.6 in the ‘70s to only 2.3 in the last decade (a birth rate of 2.1 per woman is considered the replacement rate).
This is largely because of stronger economic prosperity, which reduces the need for large families, and higher education among females, which improves their status and control over deciding how many children they wish to have. This is not due to individuals willingly abstaining from having children for “ethical” reasons.
Almost any demographic analysis of the future global population will show it hitting nine billion around 2050, and then beginning to drop. This is not attributed to “complete voluntary extinction,” but due to a low birth rate.
Indeed, many countries such as Japan, Russia, and even Canada already have a decreasing population unless they open their borders to immigrants.
Rather than scolding those who wish to have children of their own, Tefft’s time would be far better served advocating for a more sustainable and prosperous global society that does not deem procreation a sin.
This letter appeared in Volume 65, Number 18 of The Uniter, published February 3rd 2011.
