How do YOU feel about overpopulation as a parent?

Question

I'm not a parent, but I personally feel that overpopulation is a myth and is setting future generations up for failure to strive. The future populations will have too many elderly and not enough to young to do jobs that an elderly body cannot handle, so we may even go 'back in time' as to what we will be able to do. Also, those with larger families are more likely to reduce, reuse, and recycle to cut down in costs aswell as do their part in keeping the planet healthy. Also, there really wouldn't be a problem if the rich would help out the poor and decrease poverty. We can all be lower middle class and be happy. For some, that may be asking too much, though.

It is recommended that you not have any more than 2 children. But, there are people who desire to have 3, 4, 5, 6+ children. How do you feel about that? Assuming that they are financially, physically & mentally stable enough to raise them, why is that anyone's business? Isn't it a basic human right to go forth and multiply as your body tells you to do so? How can they help the planet, while bringing more lives into it? I'm sure they could breastfeed, cloth diaper, use second hand things, make their own clothes, and be more resourceful. They could stop using disposable things such as paper towel. I know a family who does that, did it before they had children too. Being GREEN is very 'in', and it's very easy to do once you get the hang of it. Again, it wouldn't be for everyone though. But, neither is having 2 kids -- having 2 kids for someone may be like asking you to only eat 2 snacks a day and that's it. You would feel like you needed more, and you probably would. You have instincts.

But all I really want to know is how do YOU, as a parent, feel about overpopulation? How do you do your part in helping the planet?

Answer 1

I'm pretty much in agreement with you. I worry that my kids will be overtaxed and overburdened taking care of the twits who had fewer than 2 children because they were afraid of overpopulation.



I don't agree with your statement about the rich though. When I wanted to go to University I had missed a lot of cut-off times with scholarships and federal aid and it looked like I would have to wait at least another year to start, if not more. I was then made aware of a scholarship by some multimillionaires in my local area. The requirements they had were very lax, basically you agreed to go to a religious class and they could see from your application that you would normally be passed by for financial aid. They were doing this for charitable purposes, for tax write-offs, etc. Had they been FORCED to through taxes, then I don't think they could have. I met several who couldn't get any aid (they made too much for instance, even though they had a family and were very poor as a whole) and they were helped by this family. I think the rich are less inclined to help those who aren't trying to help themselves, and are less inclined to help with what is rightfully theirs if they feel like they're being forced through other programs. More tax-breaks for charitable help and they tend to donate more of their money than any other group (and they get to choose what it goes to, whether it's medical help for the poor, or educating 5 people a year so that those 5 people are 5 less poor... those scholarships aren't what most people would think of as charitably giving, but man it made differences in those people's lives!)



So those are my 2 cents.



Add: I'm all for making condoms readily and easily available. I'm not for making birth control pills more available because we are seeing more and more effects of those hormones poisoning the water supply and causing all sorts of problems. I honestly see the birth control hormone methods out there dangerous, not only for cancer and other reasons but for the plain fact we can't get it out of the water. We can't get it out.

Answer 2

I don't really know much about it, but it seems like as many deaths as there are a year compared to births, we are probably breaking even. I could be wrong though (as I have never researched anything about it and have only heard about this on here). How to help? Make condoms and birth control more easily available. Condoms are now behind the counter at certain stores here. Kids were stealing them because they were too embarrassed to buy them. Now they have to ask for them too. Yea, I bet there is less safe sex going on now. I got birth control from my doctor about 2 years ago and the co-pay was $50. My 2 kids cost me less than that a month. It would be cheaper for me to have another kid than to pay $50 a month for birth control.

Answer 3

I feel that the idea of overpopulation is a bunch of bunk. There are plenty of resources on this planet; if only the governments would align better to better manage them. My family of seven does our part by reusing and recycling and reducing as much as possible, which we try to do because it saves us money to do those things.

Answer 4

While I agree that overpopulation is increasingly becoming a huge problem I do not think that anyone wants someone else telling them how many kids they can have? Overpopulation is largely a bigger problem in poorer countries that is true and I could see where a plan of lessening the population might be in order but as China has shown that a one child family is not working out so well ( they have huge problems with gender, girl children are down and a whole generation of Chinese men may not have mates their own age, this is also true in India where a girl child costs the family a lot of money and a male child brings in money due to their dowry requirements).



What could we do to make it better?



1. well living "green" certainly helps, recycling helps, cloth diapers help ( but are sooo yuck!)

2. We could insist that pharmacy companies make birth control affordable........according to where the woman lives......affordable in America and affordable in Africa are two different things!

3. We could insist our politicians work with other countries to afford women decent health services that include birth control if the woman has had "X" number of children already- no one should be forced to bear children she cant afford to feed because they cannot get birth control.

4. the religious aspect is nearly insurmountable - many religions deny birth control to their members.

5. We need to rid ourselves of the idea that this is only a problem in "other" places - the poor in our country have more kids than they want ( but will certainly accept) because it costs half a weeks grocies for a pack of birth control...

Answer 5

You have to he in denial to think overpopulation isn't a problem. Have you ever walked the streets of new York? Have you seen China? Clearly there's a problem.



I don't care how much money people make its not ok to have a shittload of kids.

Answer 6

I happen to be the mother of 9 children, I made the choice myself, have enjoyed every minute of it and wouldn't change it for anything. It is NOT, however, for everyone. As for overpopulation I seriously give it absolutely no thought whatsoever considering there is absolutely no way I can control what the rest of the world is dong.

Answer 7

personally I think that a person should decide how many children they can have without interference from the government until it becomes a problem. I don't mind families with up to five children, but if they take it to the duggar extreme, then i think there should be a limit. no matter how they support themselves, ten children will be twenty children will be forty and so on.



and if we don't reproduce, we will eventually lose that ability from a biological point of view. its in our nature, we are supposed to.



if they limit us to how many children we can have, its like putting laws to have every animal neutered and spayed(including animals besides dogs and cats) and thus stopping the populations. it isn't right, nor is it fair. every country and state should have the own option to limit children numbers when it calls for it, not before.



i don't think its necessarily a over population problem, but a resources problem. Its the under class, uneducated people who are reproducing more and having to have all these government programs to assist them that is causing a lot of up roar. it needs more education and more from the parents to stop that problem.

it is also concern for global warming, and the materials that are being depleted.



but once again, it should be up to the family, but not to an extreme

Answer 8

I think as the Health care continues to reinvent itself, people will end up living longer, and maybe thats not always a good thing (job competiton, living space, resources, etc).



IF people learn how to keep they legs closed for atleast once out the year, then maybe we wont have to face an over population. I guess not.

Answer 9

I don't care. I was an only child, now I have 3 kids.





If/when overpopulation becomes a problem, it will be stupid starving Africans dying instead of my kids. Besides, it's poor people who are causing overpopulation anyway.