Why should the U.S. support international family planning?

Answer: Because, U.S. citizens overwhelmingly support family planning. A 1998 poll found that 92 percent of Americans support the right to plan one’s family. In addition, family planning is a basic human right that is desperately wanted by millions who do not have access to it. In fact, 150 million married women have indicated a desire to plan their families, but lack access to family planning, which includes information, health screening, counseling, and contraceptive services.

U.S. support for international family planning is also critical to protecting the environment. Access to fresh water, the conservation of forests, and the preservation of species-rich habitats can all benefit from slower population growth. For example, the latest water data and population projections indicate that between 2.4 billion and 3.2 billion people may live in either water-scarce or water-stressed conditions by 2025. While many times the 500 million people currently living in such conditions, these figures are still lower than were indicated by projections made in the early 1990s—thanks to slower than expected population growth in the past decade.

Finally, each year the United States spends millions of dollars to provide aid and assistance to developing countries that have suffered tremendous natural disasters and ecological calamities. The damage caused by floods, hurricanes, and droughts is made considerably worse by the environmental degradation caused by over population. The elimination of natural buffers, aquifers, mountain slopes, and the like are directly attributable to population pressures.