US targets population growth, urges women's power

AP News Story Source

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The new U.S. ambassador for global women's issues pledged Thursday the Obama administration's "deep commitment" to a U.N. blueprint aimed at slowing the world's population explosion and empowering women.

At the heart of the action plan adopted at a U.N. population conference in Cairo 15 years ago is a demand for women's equality through education, economic development, access to modern birth control and the right to choose if and when to become pregnant.

Underlying the conference was the record growth in global population and research that showed that educated women choose to have fewer children. In 1994, when delegates from 180 countries met in Cairo, the population was 5.7 billion. According to the latest U.N. estimates, it will hit 7 billion early in 2012 and top 9 billion in 2050.

All of this talk of population reduction for what ever means has kind of gotten me wierded out. We are far from the capacity of the planet. Granted we do need to change some things to make our planet less wastfull, but I don't see a need in population reduction. I read in several places including here that there is being an international call for population reduction. This is really starting to raise my concerns.

I am surprised that nobody has anything to say about this considering all of the talk of population reduction across the globe. Any story like this should be paid attention to. So many countries are trying to stop the spread of people.

I'll say something about this: Frankly, it scares the hell out of me. What is the UN up to? Are they planning on enacting an international law that would limit the number of children someone can have? Scary times...


TA