David, Ted Turner would not have made this huge donation to the U.N. unless he made sure it did not just get lost in the general bureaucracy of the organization. He always intended it for human rights, to help the poor. I personally think it is abhorrent that the religious right and the Catholic Church have managed to inflict their anti-birth control philosophies on people who do not even live in America. While no woman should be forced to be sterilized, countless studies have shown that once women can control the size of their families, and little girls are educated to the same level little boys are in developing nations, then the entire society benefits, and poverty is reduced, and women start having options other than motherhood which empower not only her, but have a ripple effect in the community. For example, wherever the concept of small loans to help women start businesses is tried, it has worked wonderfully well, and this helps raise the standard of living for the whole family.
It may surprise you, but most women don't really want seven or eight children. Just as late-term abortions are horrific, so are the lives of women stuck in this cycle. Men in male-dominant societies often refuse to wear condoms when they have sex, so women really need a variety of contraceptives, and sex education in general, to be able to limit their family size. Who are we to inflict the morals of the American far right on them? If Ted Turner is making sure his billion dollars goes for family planning programs, then I for one am delighted. |
