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It is certainly very understandable that some governments
should start looking at ways of limiting their populations to a sustainable
figure. In the past, populations were partly regulated by frequent war and
widespread disease, but in recent years the effects of those factors have been
diminished. Countries can be faced with a population that is growing much
faster than she nation's food resources or employment opportunities and whose
members can be condemned to poverty by the need to feed extra mouths. They
identify population control as a' means to raising living standards.
But how should it be achieved? Clearly, this whole area is a
very delicate personal and cultural issue. Many people feel that this is not a
matter for the state. They feel this is one area of life where they have the
right to make decisions for themselves. For that reason, it would seem that the
best approach would be to work by persuasion rather than compulsion. This could
be done by a process of education that points out the way a smaller
family can mean an improved quality of life for the family members, as well as
less strain on the country's perhaps very limited, resources.
This is the preferred way. Of course if this does not
succeed within a reasonable time scale, it may be necessary to consider other
measures such as tax incentives or child-benefit payments for small families
only. These are midway between persuasion and compulsion. So yes, it is
sometimes necessary, but governments should try very hard to persuade first.
They should also remember that this is a very delicate area indeed, and that
social engineering can create as many problems as it solves
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