Inter-Relationship Stressed

Instead of asserting, as the U.S. would have had it, that population is a phenomenon that can be regulated in isolation from other factors in a country, the declaration notes "the inter-relationship of demographic and socio-economic factors in development." It adds: "It is imperative that all countries and within them all social sectors should adapt themselves to more rational utilization of natural resources, without excess, so that some are not deprived of what others waste."

Instead of denying the right of families to bear children, the draft states: "It is strongly recommended that national policies be formulated and implemented without violating. . .universally accepted standards of human rights."

The document also contains a special section calling for promotion of the rights of women and noting the importance of their role in determining the birth rate. As long as women are oppressed and cannot take part in the social and economic life of their countries on an equal footing, the document suggests, they will not be able, on a mass scale, to consciously and willingly regulate their families according to their own or their country's needs.

A "general objective" of the conference is "to promote the status of women and the expansion of their role [unclear: e] full participation of women in the formulation. [unclear: t] implementation of socio-economic policy, including population policies, and the creation of awareness among all women of their current and potential roles in national life."

The declaration notes also that the death rate must be lowered in most countries, that child labor and child abuse must be abolished, that maternal and infant care programs must be expanded and the like.

The U.S. proposal by contrast was undiluted Malthusianism. A U.S. State Department policy memorandum, for example, put forth the notion that overpopulation was the root cause of nearly all the world's ills:

"Excessive global population growth widens the gap between rich and poor nations: distorts international trade; increases the likelihood of famine in the relatively near future; adds to environmental problems; produces unemployment; enlarges the danger of civil unrest and promotes aggressions endangering peace."