Population ontrol - Research Paper Example

? Population Сontrol Population growth control has been a controversial topic the world over. Population growth raises significant ideological and sensitive issues which are mired by debates of a political nature. There has been sluggish development in study and guiding principle that touch on the impact of populace expansion in development. This has contributed to the issue being pushed to the periphery. Population growth control decisions happen to be driven by cultural, social, technological and economic conditions. This makes the debate of the population growth control to continue. This paper seeks to establish whether or not it is ethical for a collective to take steps to control population growth. The collective initiative to address the issue of population growth control attempts to influence the decisions of the affected communities. However, it is not easy to assess the impact of the collective initiate to control population growth. The research has been perceived to be contradictory and inconclusive. Population growth control has born fruits in developing nations. Most of these nations experience declining populations that resulted from the population growth control initiatives (Binstock & George, 1990). In developing countries, the rate of fertility is said to be over six per cent. The use of contraceptives is despised. This means the population control problem has not been solved (Eastwood & Lipton, 1999). According to Eastwood & Lipton (1999), the death rate affects the population projections and population growth control. The highest population growth is found in the poorest countries. The relationship between poverty and population growth is seen as inconsequential where fertility is high in the poorest percentage of the developing countries (Eastwood & Lipton, 1999). This leaves substantial room for debate to the appropriateness of population growth control. Population growth control is perceived to be either ethical or unethical. Population growth control is directly proportional to the quality of life (Livi-Bacci & De Santis, 2004). According to some collective initiative approaches, family planning policy or policies are influential tools to enhance the development. The approach views population growth in terms of sharing resources and development of infrastructure. According to Cleland, low population growth in some countries had led to economic growth. This has been helpful in fertility and poverty reduction. Population growth control is driven by a practical rationale of offering quality health care and upbringing to the family. The need to have a quality life and health populations is seen as the major reason for population control (Binstock & George, 1990). As a result, it is rational to pro-active to safeguard the future as pro population control growth collective urges (Eastwood & Lipton, 1999). According to the research, there is no clear dichotomy when it comes to the relationship between poverty and fertility. Binstock and George (1990) argue that poor people can choose large families as a rational way of dealing hardships. Large populations are expected to strain the ability of the government to avail quality services (Livi-Bacci & Gustavo, 2004). This must be perceived in terms of projections (Birdsall & Allen, 2001). Population growth means the policies makers must keep evaluating the policies and projections. A fifth of the world’s richest people use resources over sixty six times compared to the world's poorest fifth (Eastwood & Lipton, 1999). This suggests that the little population growth in western nations means wastage of resources. Research shows they spend more than the poor nations where population growth is not controlled. The argument that population control is ethical fails to answer the concern by the over usage of resources in the developed countries (Eastwood & Lipton, 1999). The morality of using family control measures has been a source of controversy. In some remote cultures, population control is viewed to be unethical and against religious convictions (Binstock & George, 1990). There are those who dread the side effects of using family control measures (Livi-Bacci & De Santis, 2004). Others consider them expensive especially in developing countries (Schultz, 2005). However, there seems to be a gap when it comes to the implications of absence of family planning. The rise of child prostitution and child labor is attributed to failure of population growth control (Birdsall & Allen, 2001). The negative effects of uncontrolled population growth suggest population growth is ethical (Binstock & Gustavo, 1990). The proponents of controlled population growth argue that countries deed to plan as opposed to living in population related crisis. However, the ethics in population growth control are confined to the level of education and the purchasing power of the populace. This proves to be a serious insufficiency in the drive for population growth (Livi-Bacci & De Santis, 2004). Prior to effective population growth, control, education and the empowerment must be addressed (Eastwood & Lipton, 1999). Although research has faced challenges in showing the relationship between fertility and poverty, it remains debatable, and the correlation cannot be ruled out. According to studies, developing countries need to invest in improving the levels of literacy in their populace. An empowered populace is likely to make decisions that empower them (Eastwood & Lipton, 1999). Population growth control is discouraged in countries faced by declining industrial manpower (Livi-Bacci & Gustavo, 2004). In developed countries, little population growth can be accompanied by excessive consumption (Birdsall & Allen, 2001). According to international projections, low population projections by the year 2015 means lessening the economic pressure. Each day in the world, the population grows by more than 200,000. According to GFN research, if nations adopted the lifestyle practiced in the United States of America, then it would need five planets to provide all the necessary resources. Therefore, the real solution is not controlling population growth. Studies show that if developing countries managed to control population by tomorrow, the problems they encounter would not diminish. As a result, it is not ethical to control population growth. Close to a third of the global populace lives underneath the paucity streak (Binstock & George, 1990). The threats in the developing countries like diminished biodiversity, climatic changes and water scarcity would persist even in the face of population growth control. According to this argument, it is not ethical to control population growth. The principal obstacle is the damaging rate of consumption that is said to be gaining momentum (Eastwood & Lipton, 1999). This would be the immediate solution to the challenges associated to the population growth. Economic growth rewards consumption of resources rather than preservation (Schultz, 2005). Economic growth is said to be damaging to the quality of life compared to increased population growth (Birdsall & Allen, 2001). However, this argument assumes that uncontrolled population has no direct implication to developing countries and the global lifestyle. This presupposition falls short of addressing the economic strain seen to affect the families that share meager resources despite their large size. This gap attracts debate on the implication population growth control (Binstock & George, 1990). According to UN, the world population is expected to grow by 2.3 billion by the year 2050. However, if the usage of resources is not controlled, the challenges shall continue to increase. Therefore, this position attracts the argument that numbers affect the quality of life. In conclusion, small population attracts economic empowerment, which leads to excess use of resources. In this case, population growth control is not influential. This means that it is not necessarily ethical to have a collective to control population growth. The uncontrolled population leads to scarcity of resources and competition from survival especially in the developing countries. However, this means it is ethical to control population growth. There is a clear dichotomy in these opposing arguments. It is clear population is viewed in terms of control of resources and the standard of life. Population empowerment through education and training is essential in addressing the motions. Ignorance, low levels of education and scientific research has been cited as reason for deeming population control unethical. On the contrary, uncontrolled population growth poses a direct threat to energy needs, food supplies and access to basic services. Population affects land use, environment and food production. Population growth control continues to elicit passionate debates on its impact in the quality of life. Population growth control cannot be discussed exhaustively without addressing factors that affect fluctuations in population growth. Some of these factors shape the ethics that determine population growth. Some of these include the level of education, government policy, and the future expectations. These factors determine the rationale behind any collective steps to control population growth. References Binstock, R., & George, Linda K. (1990), Eds. Handbook of Aging and Social Sciences. 3rd ed. New York: Academic Press. Birdsall, N., Allen C. K., et al. (2001). Population matters. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Eastwood, Robert, & Lipton Michael. (1999). “The impact of changes in human fertility on poverty,” The Journal of Development Studies 36(1), 1-30. Livi-Bacci, Massimo, & De Santis, Gustavo . (2004). Population and poverty in developing countries. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Schultz, T. Paul. (2005). Effects of fertility decline on family well-being: Opportunities for evaluat­ing population programs. New Haven, CT: Yale University. Read More