Apr 13, 2007

Letter

Give women an opportunity to make informed choices

Dear Editor: Recently, the Supreme Court confirmed what science has continued to prove - global warming is a reality that needs to be addressed. By deeming carbon dioxide emissions subject to federal regulation, the government is finally taking a step toward combating global warming.

Although this is a positive step, a very obvious component of global warming is being ignored: people. Even the benefits of a 40 percent per capita cut in carbon emissions could be canceled out by the population growth in 2050.
Simply providing viable information and family planning resources can help curb this population growth. When women and couples are free to make their own informed choices and have access to family planning resources, they choose to have smaller families.

Certainly the lack of family planning services in underdeveloped countries is an enormous problem, but we can start by looking in our own backyard. In the United States, one-third of all births are unintended and we have the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the developed world.

It is obvious that Bush's "Abstinence Only" sex education is not working. But by pushing for a change to comprehensive sex education, we have a chance to give our teenagers that same right that is now being championed in many less-developed countries.

Cutting energy consumption must be coupled with stabilizing population. An effective way of stabilizing population is giving our women the right to make an informed decision about their bodies.

Georgia Gann,
Berkeley field organizer,
Population Connection,
Berkeley