Tough day for research

I can't say I have much to show for myself today, in terms of teasing open the Gordian knot of population issues.

One thing that I don't have to dig for, is that unplanned pregnancies should be minimized. Sex education, including information about contraception, should be offered early and often in our schools. Contraception should be available to anyone who wants it, at no cost, and no questions asked. I read recently that 49% - yes, almost HALF - of US pregnancies are unplanned.

The Catholic church needs to change its mind about contraception. It's trading the life of an egg or a sperm (not even an embryo yet!) for the lives of our grandchildren, and their children. The stakes are higher than it will admit. If the Catholic church could relax its stance on this issue, I think it could alleviate a great deal of human suffering.

I believe that if we aren't able to bring human population down to sustainable levels, that nature will do it for us. The collapse of our supportive natural systems, lack of food, water, severe weather conditions due to ecological imbalance, will cull our numbers, and will do it in a way that guarantees an inconceivable level of suffering. Starvation. Wars over water. Are these really preferable to contraception? I don't think they are. I think if we don't throttle back our own numbers, Nature will do it for us, and it will be very ugly. Contraception, even one-child families, will seem like a walk in the park compared to millions dying of famine.