Re: [asa] A Sustainable Future and Exponential growth

Good point Randy. Honestly, I'm trying to tiptoe around the personal /
theological question of whether Christians ought to practice artificial
birth control. But regardless of what one thinks of birth control methods
generally or of particular kinds of birth control, I'd agree that the notion
in some circles that Christians have an affirmative duty to have lots of
kids has to be opposed.

On Mon, May 19, 2008 at 11:39 AM, <r.gabrielse@att.net> wrote:

>
> --
>
>
> I would affirm David's central claim about population control as public
> policy being neccessarily totalitarian. I also agree with his position
> that there is a place for education about sexuality and birth control.
> Where I would depart from David is in emphasizing this ENTIRELY in
> developing societies. That is because I am deeply concerned about groups
> within American evangelicalism and other developed nations who emphasize
> very large families as a matter of faithfulness.
>
> -------------- Original message from "David Opderbeck" <
> dopderbeck@gmail.com>: -------------- What I can't agree with, however, is
> the notion that human over-population is the fundamental driver of these
> problems, or that any sort of population control measures are an acceptable
> or necessary public policy alternative. IMHO, population control as public
> policy is always totalitarian, and the rhetoric of population control always
> tends to devalue human life. That said, I think there is a place for
> education about sexuality and birth control (but not, to be clear,
> abortion), particularly among at risk girls and women in traditionally
> male-dominated cultures. But I think this must be voluntary and framed in
> terms of women's health and not in terms of population control.
>
> O
> Randy Gabrielse
> Areopagus Director
> RandyG@ISU-Areopagus.org
> www.ISU-Areopagus.org <http://www.isu-areopagus.org/>
> 515-290-0607
>
>

-- 
David W. Opderbeck
Associate Professor of Law
Seton Hall University Law School
Gibbons Institute of Law, Science & Technology
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