卡托研究所-新马尔萨斯主义和中国和印度的强制性人口控制：人口过剩问题经常导致强迫（英文）-2020.7-36页_498kb

Summary: Neo-Malthusianism and Coercive Population Control in China and India

Core Content

This document analyzes the historical and contemporary impact of Neo-Malthusianism, a belief that overpopulation poses a significant threat to resources and the environment, and how it has led to coercive population control policies in China and India. It highlights the human rights abuses associated with these policies and the role of international organizations and Western development professionals in promoting and funding them.

Main Points

• Neo-Malthusianism emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, replacing eugenics as the primary justification for coercive population control policies.
• China's one-child policy (1979–2015) and India's Emergency (1975–77) are cited as the most extreme examples of such policies, with coercion and human rights violations being central to their implementation.
• Coercive measures in China included:
  • Over 300 million women fitted with irremovable IUDs.
  • Over 100 million sterilizations.
  • Over 300 million abortions.
• India's Emergency saw 11 million forced sterilizations, many of which were coercive.
• Both countries continue to have problematic policies:
  • China now enforces a two-child policy but still requires birth permits and coerces family planning.
  • India still punishes high birth rates in some states, with half the population living in regions with family size penalties.
• These policies have led to sex-selective abortions and infanticide, creating an unbalanced global sex ratio of 107 boys per 100 girls, far from the natural ratio of 105 boys per 100 girls.
• Over 160 million "missing" women are attributed to these imbalances globally.

Key Information

• Neo-Malthusianism is rooted in the 1798 essay by Thomas Malthus, who argued that population growth could lead to resource depletion and famine.
• Margaret Sanger and the Club of Rome were instrumental in promoting Neo-Malthusian ideas, especially in developing countries.
• The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) played a key role in supporting coercive population control policies, including China's one-child policy.
• Western aid and funding often funded coercive measures indirectly, by training family planning workers and providing resources for enforcement.
• The World Bank and USAID also linked aid to population control, reinforcing the Neo-Malthusian narrative.
• Paul Ehrlich's The Population Bomb and Garrett Hardin's "tragedy of the commons" helped popularize the idea that population growth is a threat and that coercion may be necessary to control it.
• The "fertility transition" shows that as countries become wealthier, birth rates naturally decline without coercion, due to improved child survival rates and increased access to education and healthcare.
• Critics like Julian Simon argue that human innovation and economic growth can increase resource availability, countering the Neo-Malthusian view that population growth is inherently harmful.
• Recent political figures, including Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Joe Biden, have expressed support for population control measures, echoing the Neo-Malthusian mindset.
• In 2019, 11,000 scientists called for population reduction to combat climate change, showing the resurgence of Neo-Malthusian ideas.

Conclusion

The document emphasizes that Neo-Malthusianism, despite its historical roots, continues to influence policy and international aid in China and India. It argues that coercive population control has caused significant human rights issues, including forced sterilizations, abortions, and penalties for large families. The resurgence of Neo-Malthusian thinking in modern times is concerning, given the alternatives that show population growth can be managed through economic development and social progress rather than coercion. The author calls for a renewed effort to counter this ideology to prevent further human rights violations and social imbalances.