Like many of the United Nation's annual special 'days' with names such as Earth, Water, Youth and Cancer, on World Population Day what is the average Joe supposed to do?
Certain environmental doomsday extremists probably advocate mass suicides or at the very least mass castrations, in order to ease the burden of 7 billion humans on our exhausted planet.
But if you don't feel like taking part in that, what should you do? Well, the UN wants us to reflect on 'Population' and raise our awareness of it. OK, we know there are a lot of other human beings around us, all consuming to a greater or lesser extent than ourselves, and most of them we find down right annoying, but can we really limit their right to exist?
Why is it that UN initiatives, say environmental goals, always sound so good, but inevitably run into trouble when one pauses to consider their implications for universal human rights?
Well, this year's population theme, does seem to make a lot of sense: Universal Access to Reproductive Health Services.
According to the UN: "Some 222 million women who would like to avoid or delay pregnancy lack
access to effective family planning. Nearly 800 women die every day in
the process of giving life."
So providing the education and equipment necessary for effective family planning aims to support women's rights and reduce the burden of unwanted pregnancies.
So whilst a one-child policy may appear to have the world's best interests at heart, there are other ways to limit population growth, which support human rights at the same time.
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