RE: Happy World Contraception Day!!!

This is such an important topic, and one people simply do not discuss enough. When I was staying in Mexico a few years ago, I met a lady who told me that in her village, it was very hard to obtain contraception. For this reason most people had very large families and were extremely poor.

Because she left the village, she was able to get the contraceptive injection. That was the form of birth control she preferred because of the convenience. As a result, she "only" had six children, and, although she and her husband were not wealthy, they were able to somehow send the ones who wanted higher education to University. It was life changing. She told me that her brother, on the other hand, remained in the village and had 16 children. He could barely afford to feed them let alone send any for higher learning.

This one conversation helped me realize that access to contraception and encouragement to use it (when people do not wish to have children) could alter the trajectory of so many lives. Then I was thinking that maybe it could actually make life better for all of humanity because it would solve future overpopulation.

I wish more people understood this. And, of course, I am NOT speaking about discouraging those who want many children from having them, but rather helping those who want to plan to have fewer children to manage their lives well.