The World’s Population Has Hit 8 Billion. Respecting Women’s Choices To Not Have Kids Is More Important Than Ever

For a better future!

By Mehak Walia Updated November 16, 2022

The World’s Population Has Hit 8 Billion. Respecting Women’s Choices To Not Have Kids Is More Important Than Ever

We, human beings, are unique creatures on this planet. But we are becoming one of the most commonly found creatures on any terrain. You can find humans everywhere, from humid Amazonian forests to the cold terrain of Antarctica. And now, we have touched another milestone. As of today, there are 8 billion of us on Earth according to the World Population Prospects 2022 report by the United Nations. While it is an achievement that we have increased our survival rates through better health facilities and have managed to decrease infant and child mortality rates, we need to consider the impact of this huge number on the environment and our quality of life.

Is this huge number a little too much? Should we start controlling how much we reproduce? Can the Earth satisfy the needs of 8 billion people? According to the worsening environmental conditions, increasing inequality and degrading nutritional health, it will be in our best interest to hit the brakes. It’s time to work on decreasing this number and letting this be the peak. But, how can we do that?

What Can We Do About This Crisis?

It’s essential to realise that the best way to control this crisis is to control our reproduction. So we need to realise that we should support women who don’t want to have children and should provide abortion rights to every woman in every country. Even though it is the natural instinct of every society to push its women to reproduce, we need to realise that we are way past the point where every woman should bear a child for our survival. This huge population is an indication that we need to slow down this growth rate. What better way than to not pressurise every woman to follow the social convention and bring a new life into this world?

In our society as soon as a woman is married, the next milestone she is expected to hit is to become a mother. But, not every woman dreams of being a mother or even marrying someone. There is an increasing number of women who deviate from this societal tradition and live a life according to the way they want. It’s important for us as a society to give them freedom not only because it’s their right but also because we don’t need a population explosion.

There are so many couples who go for IVF or some other medical treatment to get pregnant even when it’s not their choice, purely because of the family pressure to have a child that is “their own blood.” Instead, we need to encourage adoptions and fostering to give a better quality of life to people who are already in this world.

Another need of the hour is the right to abortion. A woman who is unwilling to have a kid shouldn’t be forced to have one, she should have the right to safe abortion. It’s better to not have a kid than bring them into a world where they don’t feel wanted. Every life matters, but it should be kept in mind the kind of life they will get if the very person who gave birth to them didn’t want them or cannot support them. With 8 billion people already competing for resources, another life that isn’t even wanted by its mother will have a much more difficult life.

It’s shocking that developed countries like the USA are scrapping this very essential right, and making it difficult for women to avail safe abortions. We should be more mindful of the impact of the rising population on the globe and provide this right.

With so many people on Earth, we can finally look at women as more than just child-giving and rearing machines and provide them with the freedom to lead their life the way they want and also control our population growth to avoid further competition for basic resources.