Why abortion rights should not be linked to population control

Scan page 8

Low crose Cng. growing population. They replaced the Cole Drug .25 Cala Nati 11 Colecolnd .08 ITOFI , 900 103a 10/- 19 + %½ subsistence farming of the indigent people with more marketable cash crops (coffee, decision, the women's movement is fighting Outraged by the Supreme Court's Webster Coleman .40 Colon Snd .30 Colwell .30€ Tuesda cotton, tobacco), and controlled the markets harder than it has in a decade. The Supreme Court's decision taught young women that 9% 4e Comi All 27 Comin tnl 40 Cominco 1.40 Combusin Eq 2148+ 7,8 157/8~ 7/8 VOLUME, 5,100,000 SHARES in which these commodities were sold. They monopolized all the manufacturing, rights are not guaranteed-they come only 5 g 227/ 131½ ComIMil 9 1678 54 Comodo- . Obe 36 SINCE JANUARY squelching all nationally controled manuthrough struggle. Unfortunately, some erroneous ideas have 24%2 19 ComPSv 1.50 3 74 Compolnd .36 10 6 CompDes .70 2 2% CompuDyne 76 659,350,918 94 ,290,024 1,09: facturing. Imperialists gained complete control of the economic life of Latin surfaced in the struggle. Molly Yard, Sales in America. The indigenous population served as president of the National Organization for 912- 3,4 Head Ski Co 1005 Open Low Cle 10% 11 cheap labor, but were deprived of the wealth Women (NOW), told the 1989 NOW Hecks inc • ió HealthMo .60 22/2 2: their labor created. Conference delegates that the "morality of the Heinicke inst HelenaRu .76 24 2. Millions of agricultural and manufacturing question of abortion rights is directly tied up Her Mai .36e with the life of this planet." 518- 1g Hi Shear ,40 ••• - ...Y Ao r Hi G Inc .251 workers were displaced and pauperized. In evils-deforestation of the Amazon, de- Yard recited a litany of environmental 15-167 7-16 1 51617-16 804 8¼ 85.8 85/g- Ja Hipotronics Horm Indust Higbie Mf .80 Hiltonhot wt "Third World" countries-through strip addition, natural resources were robbed from mining, deforestation, and poor crop rotation. struction of the ozone layer and the resultant (the "greenhouse effect"), and acid rain. But she blamed the destruction of the environment warming of the earth's surface temperature on a rampantly growing population. Yard said we face a "population bomb 73½ 73½ 13½ 13/27 1278 127/8 115g 115ig-118 11/2 11 10%½ 10%- 1 - 6344 779 5%: 7 + Vie 992 9% 93ig- 78% 18420 6½ =612= 27g 23% 7%+ Ve Hormel 1.40 Holiy Corp Hos: Ent .234 Horn Hardrt House Fabric Hoskins .E0a Hollngr 1.40a Holoph 1.20a HomeO A .50 Home A tn.50 HouseVis.44 Rivers and streams were fouled with raw belched clouds of pollutants into the air. manufacturing waste. Unchecked smokestacks of the environment. But she commits the Molly Yard is right to decry the destruction [which] is accelerating rapidly and if not 99L .....L HubbetiA. 1 same error as Malthus when she blames the checked will destroy this planet." In this problems of the environment on an "excontext, she argued, legalized, accessible ploding population." abortion and birth control are morally The Brazilian rain forests are not being cut necessary. down to house a burgeoning Brazilian popTo many feminists, Yard's argument may ulation. They are being cut down to clear land have been new-and logical. The envi- for American businesses to exploit. ronment is being destroyed on a daily basis. Under capitalism there is no rational Scientists tell us that fossil fuels and planning for production; commodities are fluorocarbons contribute to the greenhouse produced for profit rather than for human effect. Isn't it possible that fewer people need. There is no incentive for corporations to driving cars and using hair spray could use technology in ecologically rational ways. salvage the earth? Isn't Yard's argument a 'Advocating population control as a means Companies don't clean up after themselves rational reason to fight for safe, legal, because the process is very expensive and cuts accessible abortion and birth control into their profits. worldwide?

Advocating population control as a means Malthus's reactionary role the hook. Only a new economic system... to save the planet lets these corporate rapists Actually, Yard raises an old idea in a new off the hook. Only a new economic system— context. The idea that population is growing can make it possible to provide for all the one based on human needs before profits—can too rapidly for the earth to sustain it is an old make it possible to provide for all the earth's one, which Karl Marx, Frederich Engels, and people wunout destroying the earth in people without destroying the earth in the others successfully refuted years ago. the process? process.

Reverend Thomas Malthus articulated an If Yard's argument is so flawed, why is she argument for population control as early as raising it? Claiming that she is "reaching out 1798 in his pamphlet Essay on the Principle to new allies," Yard said she wants to bring of Population. Although he claimed to lay a conservationists into the fight for abortion "scientific" basis for population control, his rights. In reality, she was more likely theories were not at all based in science. to produce surpluses. In 1850, four farmers lution, the level of technology was low and reaching out to some old "allies" of the In fact, Malthus's essay was, by his own could produce enough food for five persons. large expenditures of human labor were women's movement-the Democratic Party. admission, a political tract aimed against the Today one farmer can produce enough to feed necessary to produce commodities. With ideals of the French Revolution. Malthus was and clothe hundreds of people. Even taking advances in science and technology, however, Two bills in Congress-the National trying to refute "the possible existence of a into consideration the shrinking number of productivity increased rapidly. Factories soon Energy Policy Act and the Global Warming society, all members of which, should live in farmers in this country, the development of required less and less human labor to produce Prevention Act-both tie environmental ease, happiness, and comparative leisure; and technology allows those that do farm to more and more commodities. problems to population control. NOW supcontinually increase their productivity. ports both of these bills and is probably feel no anxiety about providing the means of Workers unemployed by increased prosubsistence for themselves and their The problem is not one of famine—it is ductivity become part of a "reserve army" of between NOW and Democratic Party trying to cut a deal of mutual support families." one of overproduction; that is, irrational labor which is necessary for the capitalist politicians.

In a nutshell, Malthus said that population distribution of abundant food and other system to survive. Capitalists put this reserve grows geometrically while the resources of necessities. Today, U.S. government ware- army to work when a boom cycle is on and History shows, however, that the the world (subsistence) only grow houses are full to the brim with surplus corn, put it out of work during a depression. This Democratic Party is not an ally of the arithmetically. In other words, people increase wheat, cheese, and other products which are army also acts as a weight on the back of the women's movement. Both the Democratic and 1+2+4+16+32+64+128, etc., while never distributed—$9 billion worth in 1987. working class. It creates a constant pressure Republican parties represent the capitalist subsistence increases 1+2+3+4+5+6+7, etc. Farmers are paid by the government to keep to work harder for longer hours at lower rates class against the interests of women. The Malthus said his equation proved that millions of acres out of production in order to of pay, in order to avoid joining the ranks of ERA was defeated by both Democratic and human beings will soon outgrow the earth's cut back the mounting surpluses and to the unemployed. Republican Party politicians. A Democratic ability to feed them, and the situation will artificially stabilize prices. Party controlled Congress passed the Hyde progressively deteriorate. The poor and What we see, then, is not overpopulation Amendment in 1977, which cut off federal hungry will always exist and we will never Why does our government advocate crop but underemployment. After all, population- funding for low-income women needing have the resources to help them. Therefore, reduction and store-rather than distribute— control advocates usually are not concerned abortions.

surpluses when people are starving every day? with controlling prosperous populationsany attempts at reform are futile and only encourage the poor to reproduce irresponsibly. Because in a capitalist society, farmers don't only those unable to provide for themselves. A correct framework grow food to feed people, they produce Instead, society ought to advocate birth commodities to be sold at a profit. Giving Imperialist plunder The only way the women's movement will control and sterilization for the poor masses.

away food does not generate profit, and win the fight for abortion rights is to remain Malthus's ideas were quickly championed unlike destroying surplus grain—it decreases In underdeveloped "Third World" independent of both the Democratic and by the rulers of 18th and 19th century the demand for commodities. countries-the focus of most population Republican parties. They are our enemies, not England, who were threatened if the French Revolution spread. Malthus's theories relieved Our economic system doesn't distribute control proponents-this idea becomes our allies.

the rich and powerful of any responsibility for food to people who are hungry—it distributes clearer. Imperialists exploited underdeveloped Moreover, framing the fight for abortion the condition of the working class by food to people who can pay for it. As Joseph countries in their search for natural resources rights on population control arguments blaming the victims of oppressive social and Hansen says in Too Many Babies? The Myth for manufacturing and markets in which to alienates our true allies in this fight-the economic institutions, rather than blaming of the Population Explosion, "Under capi- sell the resulting commodities. They working class, Blacks, and Latinas. Abortion the institutions themselves. talism, the distribution of hunger in the introduced technology which at once increased is a democratic right of all women-just like But Malthus's theories didn't stand up for population is not due to the abundance of the the lifespan of the indigent populations and the right to vote and the right to a decent job long. Karl Marx was outraged by the lack of poor but to poor distribution of society's decreased their hope for escaping the cycle of at a living wage. scientific basis and called Malthus "a bought abundance." poverty. Interestingly, NOW delegates rejected advocate, a sycophant of the ruling class." Another flaw in Malthus's theory is the For example, swamps were drained in Latin Yard's flawed argument. In a resolution which Marx exposed Malthus-and his ideas—as an lack of historical context. In feudal societies, America and modern health care was called for the wide production and distribution enemy of the working class, and provided a large families provided more labor to work introduced to cut down on malaria and other of RU 486, a French-produced pill which scientific basis to refute Malthus. the fields and improve the standard of living diseases. Modern sanitation was introduced in induces abortion, delegates removed language for all family members. As capitalism some places. Latin Americans thus lived calling for outreach to population control Marx refutes Malthus developed, more children meant more mouths longer and were able to produce more groups. They also inserted language which For one thing, Malthus's theory ignored the to feed-the economic incentive to reproduce children. Their numbers grew. based the fight for RU 486—and all role of technology in agricultural was removed. The imperialists, however, were not So reproductive rights—on the democratic right development or the capacity of human labor At the beginning of the Industrial Revo- generous with providing employment for this of all women to control their bodies.

17/2 225g hgs.

37%0 1056 235g 45.1 2174 137:8 18% 1778 18% 30% 81 a 2118 57/8 21½ 105€ 107% 15% 57/8 1812 • • 74 301½ 173% 215a 181g 213/2 10% 1038 43₴ 36% 153½ Tis • V70 1894 22%8 15% 21% 83% 21% BsOL 15% •18 34/½ 1491 22%18%21½+ 1034+ 43g+ 50є47g÷ 18 -7 345g779140,412 + 501177278. High 16g 14% 2231k 16/8 35°4 103a 163,2 As a 25%g 36% 9718 245/8 30'½e .%. 32 2473 ::15% 1678 3934 Low 631л 153,4 21/2 159 g 22' 23 6 255g 15%½ 2558 11% 75/g 213:4 20% 21% 1970 10%a 24% 10!6 1134 25/ 45/2 97:8 33/6 23%½ 212% 203% 313:

1434 39%2 22% 28% 42½½ 48½ 15% 12% 135/g 35% 22½½ 6314 193½ 10% 14% 1769 10% 25:8 45%2 93, a 33:0 23½ 207a 20344 3134 14½ WE-DANNE 22½ 283% 12/2 48/2 12% 13% 22% 75g 63% 19%8 43/4 523g

----- pull-quotes -----

1738 8 American Stoch

save the planet lets these corporate rapists off

earth's le without destroying the earth

8 SOCIALIST ACTION SEPTEMBER 1989

83.8 to