To the Editor:
Re “Progressives Should Care About Population Decline, Too,” by Victor Kumar (Opinion guest essay, Aug. 6):

Dr. Kumar argues that population decline would be a bad thing for society, largely on the grounds that as a population’s average age rises, fewer young people are left to care for elders and drive economic growth.

But while aging demographics will require thoughtful responses and policy solutions, Professor Kumar’s approach — to embrace pronatalism and persuade people to bear more children — shouldn’t be one of them.

It dismisses the evidence that projected population growth of over two billion more people in this century would strain natural resources to the breaking point. It ignores the global consensus that the right to determine whether and when to become a parent, free of coercion, is universal.

It also ignores lessons from history that illustrate the folly of top-down policies to dictate or influence childbearing choices. At best they are blunt, expensive instruments that rarely achieve the intended outcome. At worst they strip women and girls of bodily autonomy, trample our rights and limit our opportunities.

Instead of trying to persuade progressives to have more babies, we should focus on caring for all of us who are already here and for the planetary resources that sustain us. That means embracing slower population growth while seeking more equitable and sustainable consumption levels.

Kathleen Mogelgaard
Washington
The writer is the president and C.E.O. of the Population Institute.