Two Crises, One Solution

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere… Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly,” said the great Martin Luther King Jr. When it comes to the rights of women and girls around the world, this poignant insight rings truer than ever. Despite some advances over the last few decades, many women and girls still suffer from serious prejudice and social discrimination: denial of basic human health services, exclusion from primary education, low or non-existent political standing, and even low-status within the family structure. These injustices reverberate mightily throughout the world.

When women have low social status, they lose the ability to choose when and how many children they will have – sometimes not even being able to choose their partner. Add in fear-inducing rumors and oppressive social taboos against the use contraception and the result is not surprising: rapid global population growth. More than 220,000 people are added to the planet every day who deserve good food, housing, clean water, and more – finite resources on a finite planet.

By weakening and eliminating all forms of gender-based discrimination, along with expanding education and family planning information and services, global population will stabilize. No doubt the natural world will applaud this, as will the people around the world benefiting from strengthened health and human rights.