Comments on Crunchy Chicken: Contraception and carbon emissions

Limiting population growth will either be done by ...

2009-10-14T17:17:00.109-07:00

Limiting population growth will either be done by us to save our earth OR to us by our earth...I hate to be half-empty on this, but my money is on the latter.

The major issue here is to make birth control and ...

2009-10-13T16:34:45.752-07:00

The major issue here is to make birth control and permanent sterilization accessible, without being coercive about it; and to simultaneously make women able to have fewer children.

What does that last point mean? Well, worldwide, birth control is responsible for about 15% of population limitation - the rest is a product of women's empowerment (no point in providing contraception if a woman is beaten for using it, or in a society where rape is condoned and normal) and *security* (ie, no point in providing it if a woman has to have five kids to get two to survive to adulthood, or if there is no way for an older woman to support herself without lots of kids to care for her in her old age).

The problem with the article and its analysis is that it only covers one end of the problem - contraception. The other end, the much, much more important end, is improving women's lives so they both can use contraception and so they can want fewer children.

Wow, that certainly a progressive and interesting ...

2009-10-12T09:33:26.693-07:00

Wow, that certainly a progressive and interesting idea. I can't wait to follow this story.
I think it's so important without even considering the environmental impacts. The decision to have or not have a child should belong to everyone. Add in the benefit of fewer carbon emissions and this could really work.

The thing about empowerment and available contrace...

2009-10-12T09:28:48.417-07:00

The thing about empowerment and available contraceptives is that they go together - giving contraceptive power to women and girls empowers them, and women with more options (school, income, status) are more likely to use whatever contraceptives they have available.

The reason this is a hot-button issue is because goverments have and do use forced contraceptive use, forced abortion, and forced child abandonment as a way to get fewer kids without empowering women, and churches and other groups have used forced childbearing to do the same thing.

I think that making contraception readily availabl...

2009-10-12T04:54:35.600-07:00

I think that making contraception readily available and cheap to everyone in the world would be wonderful. But I think that Farmer's Daughter is correct in that empowerment and education of women is going to be the key. It's only when women are empowered that they feel comfortable throwing off any cultural pressures to avoid birth control.

Really good idea...should be acted on immediately!...

2009-10-12T02:08:06.419-07:00

Really good idea...should be acted on immediately!

viv in nz

LOL I thought you were gonna send me a check for n...

2009-10-11T19:35:58.494-07:00

LOL I thought you were gonna send me a check for not impregnating a female. snort
That being said, I am sure that post going to open another pandora's box. But in reality I am sure both my grandmothers would have like it- one having 8 children the other having 10. But I think I am leaning towards Aimee's thoughts and must say I agree with her.
Full Disclosure- I have made no babies or have any desire to.

I think that distributing contraception to those w...

2009-10-11T17:28:49.038-07:00

I think that distributing contraception to those who want it is a good idea. And not just for environmental reasons, but for social and political ones as well.

Of course, I have no problem with contraception in general, though. In fact, I am very glad to have access to it myself, and so that shapes my views.

I think it's a great idea. Make reversible and...

2009-10-11T14:59:31.511-07:00

I think it's a great idea. Make reversible and non reversible birth control available to both men and women of all income levels (not only those below the poverty line). Don't go around shooting chicks up with Depo who don't want it. And I think you have a winner.

I think people should have access to birth control...

2009-10-11T14:37:32.294-07:00

I think people should have access to birth control and permanent birth control (for both men and women) free or low cost.

I think it is a good idea. As others have pointed ...

2009-10-11T13:01:08.319-07:00

I think it is a good idea. As others have pointed out it will require education. Sex education in schools always brews controversy and may prove to be difficult.

As a practicing Catholic I can see some segments of the Church calling it immoral. However, allowing our world to wither away would be greater immoral.

that's Duggar family

2009-10-11T12:29:42.090-07:00

that's Duggar family

Would the Dugan family be a Natural Disaster??

2009-10-11T12:28:04.474-07:00

Would the Dugan family be a Natural Disaster??

The statistics are being presented by the study in...

2009-10-11T10:35:23.078-07:00

The statistics are being presented by the study in a slightly slippery way- it's not like if we spend money on contraception, the world will then NOT install the same dollar value of windmills-

Anyway- it's a good idea.

Contraception is always a noisy discussion- but it's one we must have, and this voluntary direction is a very good one.

As organicneedle pointed out, I think the key phra...

2009-10-11T10:06:42.647-07:00

As organicneedle pointed out, I think the key phrase in the article is "people who want[ed] it." Distributing contraception to those who want it is only a moral quandary for those who think it's immoral, for example, some segments of the Catholic Church. (As a Protestant, I can see that viewpoint, but it's not my viewpoint.)

I think there is a slippery slope towards mandatory population control, but as the article points out, just curbing unplanned conceptions would have a big impact.

It makes sense, but you really need to look at the...

2009-10-11T09:15:00.433-07:00

It makes sense, but you really need to look at the whole picture. (Disclaimer: I've taught about population issues for the last five years. I'm also currently pregnant with my first child.)

In my opinion, the biggest factor in reducing the fertility rate is empowerment of women. This means that women have an education (even up to 8th grade makes a huge difference), have job skills, are allowed to work, and are treated fairly. Access to contraception is part and parcel with women's empowerment. This all leads to women waiting longer to have children and spacing children further apart, which reduce the overall number of children that families have.

To use myself as an example: I'm 28 years old with a MS and a good job, and pregnant with my first child. One of my grandmothers, at age 28, had an 11th grade education and had already had her 5 children. (Don't get me wrong, 11th grade education gave her a lot of opportunities not afforded to women in the developing world, but that's the specific information in this example).

Not only is it a great idea in terms of its enviro...

2009-10-11T09:08:26.117-07:00

Not only is it a great idea in terms of its environmental impact, but on just about every human rights and quality of life front as well. It allows women the most important form of control over their lives. Without birth control and education for woman, the 3rd world will remain the 3rd world and environmental concerns will be on the back burner for those populations.

As far as it being a hot button issue, nothing was mentioned about MANDATORY birth control, just access to prevent UNWANTED pregnancies.

We must focus on population, but we don't have...

2009-10-11T08:53:52.307-07:00

We must focus on population, but we don't have to use any kind of coercion or even incentives whatsoever. History shows that wherever and whenever contraception is effective, safe, and cheap - and available to WOMEN - women overwhelmingly choose to have fewer children. Whatever money the plan would use toward regulating carbon would probably be better spent simply giving away contraception. I have no doubt that making safe, inexpensive forms of birth control available globally would do more than anything else we could do to curb global warming and many other severe issues: fresh water supplies, deforestation, species extinctions, etc.

Full disclosure: I have three kids. But I'm done.