Media release: world contraception day (september 26, 2015)

25 September 2015

Media Releases 2015

Sustainable Population Australia

Patrons: Hon. Bob Carr, Dr Paul Collins, Prof Tim Flannery, Em Prof Ian Lowe, Dr Mary E White

Youth Ambassador: Ms Bindi Irwin

population.org.au

 

PO Box 3851

Weston Creek, ACT, 2611

Ph (02) 6288 6810

25 September 2015: for immediate release

Media release for World Contraception Day

With tomorrow being World Contraception Day, environment group Sustainable Population Australia (SPA) is calling on the Australian Government to boost its foreign-aid funding with a specific increase for contraception and family planning.

SPA president Sandra Kanck says the flood of refugees and immigrants pouring into Europe is a portent for the future.

‘While the civil war in Syria and the Western invasion of Iraq are immediate causes for many of these unfortunate people being on the run, the underlying and more significant cause is overpopulation,’ Ms Kanck said.

Syria’s population increased from 5 to 22 million between 1960 and 2010, while Iraq’s went from 7 to 32 million during the same time. Such large numbers, when combined with the end of easy wealth from middle-eastern oil, have inevitably led to food shortages, water shortages, land shortages, high unemployment, radicalisation of youth, civil unrest and mass migration. We are putting our heads in the sand about the current movement of refugees and economic migrants if we do not recognise the role of overpopulation.

Africa’s population has quadrupled from 230 million in 1950 to 1.2 billion in 2010. And it gets worse.  The United Nations predicts it will double again in the next 35 years.

‘If there is a problem with the thousands moving into Europe now, it can only get worse in coming years if we do not intervene to ensure that contraception and family planning advice is rolled out in developing nations, particularly in Africa.

‘There are 225 million women worldwide, particularly in developing nations, who want but cannot get access to contraception,’ Ms Kanck said.

‘The decision of the previous Abbott Government to reduce foreign aid to African nations was always a retrograde step, and must be reversed. Foreign aid, especially that relating to contraception, is an essential investment in world peace and prosperity.’

 

– ENDS –

 

Media contact: Sandra Kanck, Ph. 0417 882 143

About Sustainable Population Australia: SPA is an independent not-for-profit organisation formed in 1988 to promote an understanding of the effects of human population numbers on the biosphere and society.

PDF version of release

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