The Overpopulation Debate and Solutions to the World’s Problems

The other day I listened to a debate about overpopulation with Steven Mosher from the pro-life Population Research Institute and Robert Walker of the pro-abortion Population Institute.

GlobeWomanYou can watch it here. It’s about an hour long, but it’s worth listening to if you have time. Steven Mosher is a very knowledgeable and persuasive debater.

When I used to hear the word “overpopulation,” it always made me think of disappearing rainforests, endangered species, global warming, and poverty. Since I began working in pro-life, though, I’ve realized the scary implications of the overpopulation theory.

How do we stop overpopulation? We get rid of people (abortion, euthanasia). And how do we make it seem ok to get rid of people? By making some people appear less valuable than others (the preborn, the elderly and the disabled).

The heart of the issue really seems to come back to the value of human life. I’m not saying those other issues aren’t important. We need to take care of our planet and the plants and animals that live here.

But, as Steven Mosher argues, people have found innovative ways to solve these challenges, and will continue to do so – without killing other people.

Mosher summed it up very well in his response to Walker: “You see the problem as people. I see the problem as poverty.”

Abortion and euthanasia are the same way. There are better solutions to the world’s problems than killing innocent people. Our world doesn’t need more abortions, more euthanasia, or fewer people. Our world needs more people who will listen, care and treat others with the respect they deserve.

College Student Says Women Should Have More Abortions

Women should have more abortions, because there’s too many people on this planet.

That’s what a group of college students said, dismissing a Students for Life education effort on their campus. The pro-life group recorded the students’ reaction on video. life-potentialWatch it here.

It’s an argument that I read fairly often in online comments sections, too. People think abortion is a solution to reducing what they believe is a surplus population.

I’m not sure if the Students for Life people got the chance to respond to the students. The video doesn’t show it. But this is one of those arguments for abortion that’s not as complicated as it seems.

First, if you are pro-lifer in this situation, you don’t have to agree or disagree with the theory of overpopulation. I only know a little bit about it, but I think there are some great arguments for why more people doesn’t equal a bad thing for our planet. (Check out overpopulationisamyth.com.) But arguing about overpopulation doesn’t get to the heart of the issue.

Let’s assume for a moment that overpopulation is a problem. If the world is overpopulated, should women have the legal right to kill their 2-year-old toddler? What about a disabled person? Or an aging parent who can’t live on their own anymore? Their deaths would, after all, reduce the population, too.

But most people would say those deaths are wrong. So what is the difference between those things and abortion?

As pro-life advocates, we believe that none of these deaths are justified – not the preborn baby, the toddler, the disabled person, the elderly parent. Every one of them is human, and every human should have the right to life. That’s what the overpopulation argument really boils down to: whether the preborn are humans.

The answer to that question is something every pro-lifer should memorize. It’s a simple, scientific truth that is so powerful: A unique, new human life forms at the moment of conception, complete with its own genetic code.

Thanks to an episode of Life Report for laying out this argument.