Curbing world population, one by one

In late July, the Bush administration announced it was canceling the entire $34 million U.S. contribution to the United Nations Population Fund, which accounts for 12.5 percent of its budget. Newspapers across the country wrote editorials of lament. I wrote a letter to my local newspaper asking if, as an exercise in outraged democracy, 34 million Americans would join me and send $1 to right this terrible wrong.

I was unaware that Lois Abraham, an attorney from Taos, N.M., wrote an e-mail to 40 friends asking the same thing and encouraging them to forward her letter to at least 10 more people. Thus was born the "Thirty-four Million Friends" campaign, an idealistic grass-roots effort that has spread across the country and raised more than $113,000 so far.

Because I had been part of "Planet," which was funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to encourage support for international family planning, I had an e-mail list of 300 attendees at "population weekends" in Washington, D.C. I sent e-mails to these people and also letters to many friends.

By October, envelopes were pouring in to the population fund. While in New York for a press briefing, we opened an envelope containing a check for $310. A woman had collected $1 from 310 relatives, friends and neighbors, and written down 310 names, which are now posted on the www.unfpa.org Web site. Last Sunday in New York City's Central Park, there was a "Bark for Women Dog Walk." People walked their dogs in freezing weather and gave their dollars.

The population fund works in 142 countries. Its five main areas of activity are voluntary family planning (excluding abortion), safe births, AIDS prevention, prevention of female genital mutilation and prevention of violence against women in areas of conflict and refugee camps. It is also opening fistula repair centers in Africa. When girls are expected to marry at young ages and when they give birth, labor is often long and difficult with tears resulting between the vagina and rectum. These tears do not heal and must be repaired.

Otherwise the girls remain in physical discomfort and are often ostracized from their community. The population fund is concentrating some resources on this frequent medical tragedy, which is unheard of in this country.

I gave birth at age 35 with all the best medical care before, during and after. Nearly half of all women in the developing world give birth with no trained medical assistance. All of us who are grateful for folic acid, the pill, sonograms, Pap smears, IUDs, condoms and vasectomies should want to share a little of our good fortune.

Family-planning services are a benefit not only at the individual level but also on a much larger scale. In the past 100 years the planet's population increased from 1 billion to 6 billion. With half the population under 25 -- under 19 in some countries -- there will be 9 billion people by 2050.

One can easily imagine the conflicts over resources, particularly water, and the environmental stress that will result. Shouldn't the United States be a leader in the long-term goal of encouraging voluntary, humane family planning for those who want it? Isn't population stabilization the most effective way to leave a peaceful world to our children and grandchildren?

Jane Roberts of Redlands, Calif., is co-founder of Thirty-four Million Friends. Every dollar contributed to the United Nations Population Fund (in care of the U.S. Committee for UNFPA, 220 East 42nd St., Suite 2800, New York, NY 10017) goes to programs, not administrative expenses.

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