Overpopulation is a Myth
“The biggest obstacle was mixing abortion with overpopulation. These are two things that have nothing to do with each other. ”
- Jacques Yves Cousteau
For several years, population control group has push through the idea of abortion,contraceptive and different methods to lessen the number of people in the world today. It has been believed that as the population increases through time, scarce resources would not be enough to satisfy each individual's need and desire. However, recent study conducted showed that maximum increase of population started on 1965, after, the population rate slowly decreased until now.
Another research conducted by the United Nation that fertility rate of women today has rapidly decreased that it can not sustain the minimal replacement rate of 2.1. Women in Ireland to Russia can only bear 1.5 children in their entire lifetime, 1.7 in China, 1.1 in South Korea and in the Philippines.
A Professor of Political Science at Saint Joseph's College in Rensselear, Indiana named Dr. Osterfeld showed that among the three most important variable which is food, living space and resources, overpopulation made no cases relating to them. Also Dr. Osterfeld said, "..by any meaningful measure the world is actually becoming relatively less populated."
Population is not the cause of poverty
Many studies conducted by different scientists, researchers, and economists found out that overpopulation, as what people believed is the source of all problems, is in fact the solution to all these problem.
By using the belief that every individual are different and has their own different potential which is of value to the society, we can conclude that the more the people means the more benefit it can create to us - more economic production, more scientific achievement, and more innovation. This idea has been conceptualized by Steven W. Mosher who was the former secretary of the Kenyan Medical Association. His idea was proven by the study conducted during World War ll.
In the 18th century, the population rose to six-fold which then gave productivity development, resource explosion, food increase, information explosion, science explosion, communication improvement and medical explosion. It has also been found that during 1900 to 2000 world population grew from 1.6 billion persons to 6.1 billion. However, while world population increased close to 4 times, world real gross domestic product increased 20 to 40 times.
Studies show that the main reason of underdevelopment and poverty in a country can be cause by two main reasons either internally or externally. Internal problems can be caused by poor political and economic administration, corruption, excessive military budgets, fratricidal wars and so much more. External problems can be caused by inequitable distribution of world's resources as well as international trades and financial arrangement.
Biblical Teachings
The Bible has been the basis of four different views when it comes to the issue of abortion and population. The first view is the pessimistic view, second is the optimistic view, then the symmetric view and the procreation view. The pessimist view and the optimist view are two secular humanist view which does not provide solid supports in the scripture of the Bible while the two Christian views are the symmetric views and procreation which has ample support from the passages of the Bible. The pessimist view see that as more children are born, the world may experience frequent wars and famine. Bible verses being sighted are Matthew 24:7, Matthew 24:19 and Matthew 24:34. In Matthew 24:19 states, "How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!" which discourages adults from raising children.
In the optimist view, they are not concerned with the population control argument but what they are concerned is the importance of children to improving the next generation's economy. They believe that children should be raised to learn from adults and what they may learn may be used to improve the economy which is supported by Proverbs 22:6, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."
The symmetric view is one of the Christian views supported by Biblical teachings and scriptures. The symmetric view is more concerned with the purpose of human beings to populate in this earth to have dominion and control over things. The symmetric view states Bible verses such as Genesis 6:19, Genesis 1:28, and Proverbs 2:6. In this view, Christians believe that they have been given the capability to love and respect living things from animals to their own children however in this view they see the Bible confirming God's will to develop solutions to problems such as overpopulation through prevention of unwanted pregnancies by using modern methods although they do not approve taking life after conception.
Verses from the beginning of the Bible shows the importance of procreation when God commanded them to be fruitful and increase in number(Genesis 9:1). Such verse is the basis of people who follow or believe in the Procreation view. The Procreation view is the most focused view among all of the view because it promotes life. In this view, it shows that God uses children to let us see and understand his majesty(Psalms 8:1-2). God also speaks to man that parenthood is a gift to adults as Psalms 127:3 states, "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him." The procreation viewpoint values God by valuing children.
Amidst all the viewpoints, Procreation view is the most important and the most solid evidence that population control should be deleted in this earth because lessening children is like lessening God's gift and blessing to this earth.
Church
Not only Catholic churches condemn contraception, also non-Catholics Christian churches. Roman Catholics are against it and non-Catholic Christians too. However, protestants approve to the use of contraceptions for population control. The Roman Catholic churches is opposed to artificial contraception and any sexual acts outside marriage. The church believe that any sexual acts should be unitive,in marriage, and procreative. The Catholic church only approve to abstinence as the only form of birth control.
In 1968, Pope Paul Vl, approved to the periodic abstinence on his encyclical Human Vitae.
The Catholic church also believe that man and woman's natural inclination is to reproduce children thus contraception, direct sterilization, abortion, and even for therapeutic reasons are against Church teaching thus it is condemned by the Church. The Vadamecum for Confessors was released in 1997 by the Vatican that states that the Church has always and will always teach the intrinsic evil of contraception. In 1987, Donum Vitae was released to oppose in-vitro fertilization and the harms it can do to embryos and during 2008, Dignitas Personae was released to denounce embryonic manipulation and modern methods of contraception.
Non-Catholic church discourage contraception because it promotes promiscuity. Using contraception, provides safety and lets more people engage in pre-marital sex. This is the perception of Non-Catholic church why they oppose contraceptions.
Natural Law
In making crucial decisions that involves the morality of an action, it is always better to decide accordingly to the natural law of man. The natural law to us man, declares the will of God, and thus we should observe our actions congruent to it because it is necessary for our salvation.
According to the doctrinal principles of the Second Vatican Council, the sexual act between wedded couples is noble and worthy. The natural law which God commanded and was interpreted by man that each and every marital act must of necessity retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human life.
According to the magisterium man should not break any procreative significance of the sexual act. The result of sexual act which is begetting children, is written as the actual nature of man and woman. The church has condemned direct sterilization whether permanent or temporary. Similarly excluded is any action which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation—whether as an end or as a means.
My opinion
Conscience is the ability of an individual to judge something as right or wrong. The conscience we have is different from the conscience of others in terms of the issue of population control. Many people may say that using contraceptives is good for the well being of a country while some would say no because it promotes promiscuity, it is unnatural for man, and is against God.
According to my own judgment, population control is not right. We, humans, could not choose doing a lesser evil(use of contraception) for a greater good(lessen overpopulation and improve economical growth). I believe that there is a point that the more the people, the more the knowledge we can acquire and the more knowledge we have, the more productivity and the more productive a country is will yield to economical development and growth. Thus, population is not the problem but the solution.
Stopping or killing unborn children and undeveloped zygotes are awfully wrong because it is like not giving a chance for a child to live in this world. Although, some may say that it is more awful to let a child live without proper food or shelter but i believe it is even worse to stop the child from living without even seeing the first light of the world. Contraception and abortion is also against the law and is stepping the equal rights of every children to live, to eat, to be educated and to give proper love and care. Contraception also engages young people to premarital sex. They would believe that it is okay to have sex because there is condom, IUDs and abortion is okay but the truth is, they are already engaging younger people to commit sin.