The consequences of a population explosion set the stage for countries to implement some ethical forms of population control. Describe some of the factors that must be in place in order for these types of controls to work.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The prerequisites to population control are adequate incomes, higher literacy levels, education for women, universal access to healthcare, family planning, improved nutrition, and, perhaps most important, a change in basic cultural beliefs regarding the importance of large families. Unfortunately, minimum progress in providing improved living conditions and changing beliefs has occurred. India serves as a good example of what is happening in much of the world. India's population was once stable, but with improved health conditions leading to greater longevity and lower infant mortality, its population will exceed that of China by 2050, when the two will account for about 50 percent of the world's inhabitants. The government's attempts to institute change are hampered by a variety of factors, including political ineptitude and slow changes in cultural norms. Nevertheless, the government continues to pass laws with the intended purpose of limiting the number of births. A novel example was a law that bars those with more than two children from election to the national Parliament and state assemblies. This rule would mean that many now in office could not seek reelection because of their family size.