Buried in the Donald Trump administration’s recent avalanche of executive orders in the United States was a starkly revealing provision: A Department of Transportation order requiring projects to prioritize federal highway and transit funding to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average. Those with declining birth and marriage rates could face funding cuts. … Read More »
No, the US is not funding condoms for Hamas — and don’t cut USAID
February 14, 2025President Trump voiced the culmination of recent attacks on USAID last Friday, writing “CLOSE IT DOWN!” in a Truth Social post, citing unsubstantiated claims of corruption and fraud. If there was ever any doubt that the agenda was to shutter the agency, that’s dispelled. In the days prior, Trump said his administration identified $50 million … Read More »
Contraception and Family Planning are Vital for People and the Planet
September 25, 2024It may be coincidence, but it’s fitting that World Contraception Day and World Environmental Health Day fall on the same date, September 26. There is a deep and often overlooked connection between family planning and environmental sustainability. Family planning is a cornerstone of reproductive health, but it’s also the foundation for much more. The ability … Read More »
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 … Read More »
July 11 is World Population Day—designated annually by the United Nations as a focused opportunity to examine population trends and their implications for society. This year, World Population Day offers a chance to reflect on the 30th anniversary of one of the largest and arguably most influential world population conferences in history—the 1994 International Conference on Population … Read More »
On 15 November 2022, the world’s population reached an estimated 8.0 billion people, a milestone in human development. This unprecedented growth, according to the UN, is due to the gradual increase in human lifespan owing to improvements in public health, nutrition, personal hygiene and medicine. It is also the result of high and persistent levels … Read More »
Just in time for World Population Day, an annual observance intended to “focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues,” the U.S. House of Representatives voted up a foreign assistance appropriations package that guts U.S. investment in voluntary family planning and reproductive health around the world. This July 11, the United Nations is expected … Read More »
As Heat Soars in India, so Does Domestic Violence
July 4, 2024NEW DELHI, India, Jul 4 2024 (IPS) – As the temperature soars to new heights in India, so does domestic violence. It’s a well-established correlation that is largely left out of the climate change discussion, but the gap is glaring and needs to be bridged. For the third summer in a row, temperatures in India are … Read More »
Degrowthers are neither deranged nor do we claim that ending or reversing growth will save the planet. Instead, we simply look around at what several centuries of demographic and economic growth have done to the prospects for the long-term survival of healthy ecosystems and civilization itself. Then we ask, does humanity really need more of this at … Read More »
If the Supreme Court decides to allow domestic abusers to own guns, Black women and other women of color—who already face higher rates of pregnancy-related death—will pay the highest price. It’s no secret that gun violence is pervasive in the U.S. But, its intersections with gender-based violence and its specific impact on Black communities must … Read More »