Bernie Sanders grabbed headlines this week by saying that he would consider policies around population control, given our degrading environment.
Why does the debate matter? Smaller families working together to plan a fair start for every child is the best way to protect kids, our environment, and our democracies – ten to twenty times more effective than anything else we can do. And yes, parents have a moral right and responsibility to protect their kids. If the government won’t do it they will.
What does that mean? They are morally obligated to protect children’s future by targeting concentrations of resources that could be used to fund Fair Start family planning, targets that – given the state of emergency – have no legitimate claim to the resources they are hoarding. Candidates and celebrities should be talking about a peaceful process for this form of intergenerational justice – not about the misnomer of population control. Instead it’s about becoming free and equal people, through Fair Start family planning – the first and overriding human right.
Family planning is the only form of truly fundamental change. Period. Engage with the candidates and with celebrities, make them answer the hard questions by any mean effective, tell us how you did it, and we will publicize your story.
Tell Candidates to Answer the Real Questions
Population is not some amorphous thing. It’s about us, it’s about the people around us, and the children being born every second around the world. It’s about creating a “We the People,” where free communities self-govern, and make the rules they live under. Candidates are either promoting that process through Fair Start family planning, or they are degrading our environment and our democracies by ignoring future generations. These are the key questions: What is the minimum standard of living each child should be guaranteed before they are born? How will we level the playing field between kids born rich and born poor, and instead give every child a fair start in life? How will we encourage smaller families where we can invest more in each child, and rebuild a safe and natural environment?
TAKE ACTION: Tell Bernie to start talking about kids’ right to a fair start in life. It’s about people, not population. What standard of living do the candidates children enjoy, and wouldn’t it be great if every child had those things? Bernie – tell us how you will make that happen through better family planning policies. Tweet him @BernieSanders, or engage with him in person.
TAKE ACTION: Tell Naomi Klein to drop the false dichotomy – population is not an exogenous issue. It’s the “we” in all of her statements. The state of the world today, the people in it, the inequality, the climate crisis, etc., are all the product of family planning policies of the past. Humans don’t fall from the sky. Let’s start to get ahead of the problem. You cannot be egalitarian and not change our current isolationist model of family planning to Fair Start family planning instead. Tweet her at @NaomiAKlein, or engage with her in person.
Tell Celebrities to Start Modeling Responsible Behavior
It’s not just about politics. Celebrities have a massive influence on family planning decisions around the world, and while some – like Harry and Meghan – are stepping up, others – like the Baldwins – are not. Celebrities probably have a greater impact on family planning decisions than politics. They need to answer the questions posed above too.
TAKE ACTION: Tell the Baldwins to explain publicly how they intend to help all families give their kids a fair start in life. Tweet Alec at @AlecBaldwin, or engage with the couple in person.
The future is defined by the people being born today. Step up for your and your family’s future.
