There are strong reasons for helping people to manage their reproduction, in terms of reducing poverty. Spending the same resources to take care of a smaller number of children helps to ensure better outcomes for those children.

However, there is a popular myth that population growth is a cause of our environmental problems. In fact, the impact of the wealthy, though very few in number, is far greater than the impact of the poor, even in areas where population is large and/or rapidly growing.

An effective way for a population to reduce its population growth is to become wealthier. Wealthier, more educated people have more choices, and on the whole choose to have less children. (If we analyze more carefully, is the association more close with health and other indicators of human welfare, or with actual wealth?)

Amartya Sen compares population control measures in Kerala (based on education and free choice) with China (often forced) and finds that Kerala's were actually slightly more effective. This is discussed in his book Development as Freedom.

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