The Myth of Overpopulation

I’ve talked a little before about the myth of overpopulation in our world, mentioning the fantastic advocacy work of the Population Research Institute to paint this situation with truth. One of the largest problems in the greater world–one barely noticeable to most Americans–is “population control”, a selfish response to the potential threat of overpopulation. Many in the world believe the solution to the possibility of overpopulation is preemptive murder (usually of unborn children) or forced suppression of our procreative abilities.

Already “population control” has been used as the rallying cry for state-sanctioned abortions (see China) and forced contraceptive use (many countries in Africa). Millions of people are being sacrificed on the sham altar of “population control”. The accompanying closure towards new life is a rejection of man’s original design and giftings. We were designed as pro-creators, co-creators with God, not as takers of life. Simply stated, this myth of overpopulation and its popular responses have monumental ramifications in our world today. The way we view and act on these realities literally has life or death consequences.

The promotion of “population control” hinges on two false beliefs: first, that the world is experiencing an overpopulation crisis, and second, that more people equals more problems. Both of these are false.

The second myth can be best exposed by culture, subjective experience, and a proper understanding of the dignity of the human person. In his last encyclical, “Caritas In Veritate” (Love in Truth), and in recent talks regarding the continent of Africa, Pope Benedict XVI described the reality that helping the poor in countries like Africa is actually helping the entire world. Every human being has tremendous, unique gifts to offer the world, thereby meaning that their very existence is a net positive. As Christians, we believe that every person conceived was chosen by God to exist. God wanted them to be in the world. He loves them that much. No matter how much aid a person may need, no matter how much they contribute to the GDP, a person has innate value and worth to offer the world. This can only be understood if their value isn’t measured in dollars, however. People are worth much more than their economic output–or economic drain. Much more.

The first myth, however, does not even require a religious or subjective understanding of the situation. The statistical myth of overpopulation can be explained by hard data and research alone. The fine people at the Population Research Institute have become masters at using New Media technology–particularly their creative Youtube videos–to brush away misconceptions and accurately explain social realities using straight data. For instance, some of the most prominent arguments used by “population control” proponents are that the population is increasing at an astronomical rate, that we don’t have enough food to feed this increasing population, and that we don’t have enough land, either, for all of these people. Raw statistics alone are able to disprove each of these propositions.

Regardless of whether or not you embrace the sacredness and dignity of every human person, the blunt reality is that we are not in danger of overpopulation. In fact, the opposite may be true. The Population Research Institute has created three short-length movies explaining the myth of overpopulation in down-to-earth language. Take a couple of minutes to watch them below, making yourselves aware of the truthful realities of this important global issue:

(For more on the sacredness and dignity of every person, check out Pope John Paul II’s “Gospel of Life” or his deep “Theology of the Body”. I’m gearing up to do some serious reading and study on the rich “Theology of the Body”, so I’ll be commenting more on that in the near future.)