[phkahler]

>> I think one of the keys to "controlling" population growth is to bring people out of poverty.

That implies that poor people have a higher reproductive rate - which I believe is true. A shortcut is to offer birth control to poor people. Many of them don't actually want a bunch of kids, but when you're poor there's not much to do and sex is free.

I agree it'd be nice to bring people out of poverty, but shouldn't we stop creating more people in poverty too? Prevention is cheaper than a cure.

[snowwrestler]

There's a lot more to birth control than just dropping off boxes of condoms or the pill. You need a culture and a religion that allows it. You need women to have the freedom to employ it. You need men to allow women to make those decisions. You need men who are willing to accept the reduced pleasure of sex (from a condom) in order to prevent disease and unplanned pregnancy. You need education so people understand the connection between their individual actions, and the broader trends and problems of the society in which they live. Etc.

Just look at the U.S., where birth control is cheap, plentiful, and legal...yet there is still incredible social pressures working against its availability--even basic stuff like sex education, family planning, and condoms.

[DanBC]

Poor people don't have children because they are bored, but because they are poor and they need the labour to work the farm. Or because they know the infant mortality rates are awful and children under five die from easily treatable illness (eg diarrhea, treatment a few cents of oral rehydration salts and some clean water).

[__m]

there is probably more behind that than boredom. Maybe they want many kids to support them when they get older.

[phkahler]

I know a guy that grew up in a rural US town but went to college and is quite successful now. He went back and visited his ex girlfriend from high school. She had a kid to support and was going nowhere. He said he was extremely lucky not to fall into that trap. An exact quote: "There were two things to do in Beaverton, and I didn't drink".