Contextual Disparities in Pro-life Positions

Human thought processes are contextual, so humans assimilate new information and ideas best when they can be associated with familiar contexts. Human population size and Earth s carrying capacity for humans are rarely discussed, although much information is available on the Internet. On the few occasions when discussions do occur, they are usually in a religious/ideological context. A major component of these discussions, as related to humans, is the right of a woman to determine events in her body. The pro-life position is that, from the moment of conception, the individual has the right to life. In the United States, heated discussions continue on abortion, individual choice vs federally mandated restrictions, and _rights of medical providers to refuse to provide birth control information (or even discuss it) if it conflicts with their religious beliefs. However, absent from all these arguments is how the daily increase of 215,000 people (births minus deaths) will be fed and provided with potable water, medical care, and adequate housing on a finite planet. With continued exponential human population growth, the number of people living in misery will increase significantly. The usual response to this evidence is that someone (usually a deity) or something (usually technology) will provide the needed resources. However, with nearly half the planet s population living at barely adequate subsistence levels, this response is clearly inadequate.