However, there are others who tend to disagree that overpopulation is an issue. People who want to expand their family and have strong beliefs that humans exist to reproduce are difficult to convince that overpopulation must be avoided. According to Gottlieb, the people in certain religions, such as Mormons, reproduce more than three times than Jewish people, who themselves reproduce large families. People who traditionally have numerous family members do not view overpopulation as a problem either. They might say that the problem is not necessarily a big deal since the main priority as to why humans are living on this planet is to have families and value that aspect of life. Because families with many members in a household have experience with budgeting and limiting resources, they also feel that it is possible for the economy to do the same. If people throughout the world can budget their usage of items and stabilize the amount of pollution they are adding into the air, overpopulation would not be a problem. "The environmental choices of individuals or individual families show wide variations in given levels of income and knowledge. There are individuals who are tidy and highly safety- conscious; and there are individuals who are not," (Demney, p.287).
Although religious beliefs, family value, and the large consumption of resources are important to consider, people should notice other contributing factors of overpopulation. Individuals who believe that people exist to reproduce need to be less selfish and instead become more considerate of the entity of the ecosystem since it is going to plummet with more people overcrowding the planet. "Population size is inherently linked to the environment as a result of individual resource needs as well as individual demands on air, water, and land environments," (Hunter, p.7). It does not make sense that people are willing to bring their children into a world with increasing problems within the environment as it becomes packed full of people. Living in a polluted atmosphere will cause health problems, especially to newborns, and also needing to budget water amongst billions of people is not an ideal lifestyle people would like to peruse. Imagine the challenge of having to constantly live in the crowds of California, combined with the poverty of Africa, while also having to share a shortage of resources amongst everyone. Most people like space and when nations become more populous, living arrangements will become difficult.
Resources are necessities for everyone living on this planet and if there are not enough, people will suffer in the future. "We are able to sustain so large a population (mostly living in misery) at the moment only because we are burning our capital,” (Ehrilch, p.8). Currently, the economy all throughout the world is nearing fifty trillion dollars of debt. This is stressful enough for present society but it will only get worse for future generations. The job market is challenging people to compete with one another as they each try to support themselves or their family. It is better to be aware of the setback overpopulation causes and try to use active measures in preventing it from getting out of hand, especially since the economy is not doing well and not everyone is contributing as active members of society.
China and India have been using active measures in attempting to stabilize their population from growing at a rapid rate. Because they are the two most populous countries in the world today and have more experience with population control, it will be a greater advantage to follow their example and combine their policies into one nation. China first introduced their one child policy in 1979, while India has been enforcing family planning amidst forming a two-child policy. Sure, their regulations are not too successful but they are at least making some impact on population. Having a one-child policy and monitoring family planning will allow population rates to slowly decrease, as it should to avoid overpopulation in the later generations. "If women average 1.5 births for a generation, then the next generation will have a shortage of adult marriage-age women, and the population will keep falling even if these women have two children on average," (Bouvier, p.21).
Therefore, this solution will be made into a law so that individuals will contribute toward helping the society. The law will be made by 2015 in America since it is the third most populous nation in the world. A one-child policy will be a more drastic and a faster method of decreasing the population, while monitored family planning will qualify and register eligible families for having this opportunity. It would be unfair if children were brought into society during times when both the environment and economy are going through a crisis. This policy allows everyone to notice if they are able to be patient and not mistreat their child, while also financially support, feed, and provide shelter since there is no guarantee that the economy will be in its topmost form as natural obstacles occur.
As far as adoptions go, they will be closed to people who have already reached their one child limit. Couples who are unable to conceive children will have an opportunity of starting a family through an adoption agency. For the circumstances where parents do not want to hold the responsibility of supporting a family, they will still be eligible to put their child up for adoption, though they will fall into the category of already having a child. This method will not hurt to try since population is quickly expanding and there are not a lot of things being done to prevent it.
Just as any other law held in this nation, it is expected that people will follow what is settled or they will face repercussions. It is best to start in America (since it is the third most populous nation in the world) and if it were made into a worldwide law, this solution will be ignored. “There is no super-government with the authority to impose population policies on sovereign states around the world,” (Gilbert, p.27). Nevertheless, being another nation that is also trying to control population will gradually start a trend on others as they notice what the irrepressible population is causing. The law in America will enforce a one-child policy and through that, doctors and a specific organization created to monitor population control will make sure people follow the new regulation. The money for this process will come from taxes, which will also make people think more seriously about the expenses of bringing children into the world. There will be fees, imprisonment, and possible death sentences for people who purposely reproduce more children than the law states. Also, those who secretly have extra kids will not be allowed to sign them up for any health care coverage. Along with this outcome, parents will only be allowed to work minimum paying jobs while also needing to pay more taxes for taking up extra space. It does not matter if people can afford it or not, it is just made as a hassle for them since it is for the global population in return. If people are willing to rebel against the law, they will have to face the consequences.
It is not surprising that people will disagree and not settle with this suggested regulation. For many generations now, most nations allow families to grow and people are allowed to have as many kids as they want. Some people who agree that overpopulation is a problem will argue with the solution. Human rights activists will protest and others will follow trying to ban the new law even though it is for the better of society’s future. Because people in this union stand up for their rights and strongly believe in the freedom of choice, they will put up a fight. People who disagree will claim that this is a breach upon their rights and no one has the power to force a person to only have one child. Though people need to understand that everyone has a duty to make this world a better place if they are going to be a part of it.
With more people in this world, more problems will occur. Sure there are liable oppositions, although people must not be closed minded to the solution. People will suffer as they live in an overly crowded world. "Men would be crowded elbow to elbow; then after a while they would outweigh the earth. Without waiting for such absurdity, the multiplication leads to starvation and social turmoil. Obviously something- preferably some measures better than war, pestilence, and famine- will stop the explosive growth," (Shinn, p.77). If there is a limit on the number of kids people can have, this will eliminate the factor of their kids later having even more children and stopping this ongoing cycle from getting too out of control. Also, having a monitored method of family planning will be beneficial because it will put peoples impulsive yet overconfident beliefs of raising children into perspective, while also following through a process of being eligible enough to have one. These processes will take time but in the long run population growth rates will decrease.
This solution will not only affect the steadiness of population, it will also open many job opportunities for the public. For the law to be monitored and seriously viewed, social workers who are specifically hired to make sure the process runs well will strictly enforce the regulation. Financially, this process will not only cost the government but also the companies who have to provide for their workers because of their higher demand in the workforce (which may be a good change for the unemployed). The workers needing to deal with the policy cases will be affected since people will argue and more likely blame them regarding the actions they do not want to take. This will also have a financial toll on the healthcare system since they are accountable in providing for every one child a family has. Mainly, the ones who will suffer will be people who are limited to one kid or the clients who are unable to surpass the credentials of family planning to make one (whether male or female).
Although every solution has a problem, there are benefits and in this case it is toward the general population. If families follow this law, they will be more supported by the government as they have the ability of gaining health care coverage and security to support their household. In China, “couples with one child who pledge not to have any more children receive monthly child-support allowances until the child reaches the age of 14, promises of higher education pensions in their own retirement, and more spacious housing. The child receives preferential treatment in applying to schools and for jobs," (Gilbert, p. 25). Obviously, this will be an advantage people would like to gain since it will be beneficial for parents and their children so more people will obey the law. It will have a long-term effect since it will gradually bring population to a steady rate and the future will be better prepared for when everyone contributes toward this issue.
Whether having a child or not, people need to understand overpopulation is an issue. Imagine the children being born into poverty and famine. Countries like Africa are unable to fully support the people being brought into their nation. Because most mothers are unhealthy, their kids are automatically malnourished, already giving them a difficult start to life. Children have no choice but to deal with epidemics that take a toll on their health, as well as needing to see their families suffer through the pain of diseases and hunger. “In remote villages in Yemen, girls as young as 11 are forced into marriage. They still have six babies on average,” (Pearce). Children taking care of children are living a life of misery, especially when their nation is not well equipped and underdeveloped. They are born into environments they have no control over as they struggle more than others in fighting for survival.
The point of bringing life into the world is to allow children to be raised and live in an atmosphere that is positive and enjoyable, rather than just put here to live through the misery of poverty, famine, or insane competition for jobs and resources. If there are no changes made, the world's population will reach an incredible 15 billion by 2050 (Bouvier, p16). Realistically, these problems are unfixable by only limiting the number of children individuals can have and through family planning within a nation. In addition to the solution, awareness of overpopulation will be more publicized and taught throughout school. Furthermore, because sex is unpreventable, forms of birth control and the morning after pill will be free toward the public if they visit a professional healthcare provider. Not only should people be more careful about reproducing but they should also be aware of the amount of resources they use. Society will constantly argue with different methods in preventing overpopulation until people start to realize that the importance of bringing a life into the world is to provide safety and security for children as they grow old, rather than overpopulated and run down by too many people.
Citations:
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United States: Seven Locks Press, 1999. Print. 15-38.
Demeny, Paul. Geoffrey McNicoll. “The Reader in Population Development.”
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Ehrlich, Paul. Noel, Hinrichs. “Population, Environment & People.” The Population Crisis:
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Gilbert, Geoffrey. “Contemporary World Issues: World Population.” Population
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Gottlieb, Anthony. “Faith Equal Fertility.” Intelligent Life Magazine. Web. Dec 2008.
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Pearce, Fred. “The Overpopulation Myth.” Prospect. Web. 8 March 2010.
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“U.S. & World Population Clocks.” U.S. Census Bureau. Web. 29 June 2011.
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“World’s Most Populous Countries.” Coolwriteups.comNetworks. Web. 24 July 2011.
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