The world is overpopulated, and responsible people know this, so they should not reproduce.

The four key issues in this debate are overpopulation, reproduction, responsible parenthood, and adoption. I will start with some definitions, and then proceed to put them into context. Basic Definitions: Overpopulation: The population of an environment by a particular species in excess of the environment's carrying capacity. The effects of overpopulation can include the depletion of resources, environmental deterioration, and the prevalence of famine and disease. Reproductive Rights: They include the right to decide the number, timing and spacing of children. Responsible Parenthood: refers to the will, ability and commitment of parents to respond to the needs and aspirations of the family and children, more particularly through family planning. Arguments about reproduction: Reproductive rights are human rights, recognized by the United Nations, which allow parents to decide how many children they will have. In other words, humans have the right to reproduce. Demanding or suggesting to a human that he/she should avoid reproduction is equal to suggesting to this person that they should waive their rights. Responsible parents exert their reproductive rights, to have the number of children they can properly raise, according to their environment and circumstances. Arguments about overpopulation: Claiming that the world, in general, is overpopulated is inaccurate and simplistic, because resource availability, population density, environmental carrying capacity, and environmental management practices, vary by region. There are areas of the world that face overpopulation due to a combination of factors:1. Poor resource distribution2. Lack of education3. Violation of reproductive and other human rights4. Environmental mismanagement5. Insufficient carrying capacity On the other hand, there are areas of the world that are not overpopulated, and/or do not face those problems. Arguments about adoption: Not all children in overpopulated areas are up for adoption. In traditional agricultural cultures, people have a large number of children to use them free labor in the farm. Not every adopting family is suitable for intercultural/interracial adoptions because of their beliefs, lifestyle, and even social environment. Sometimes transplanting a child to an incompatible culture will produce more harm than good. Not every parent is suitable for adopting. Some parents need to feel a biological bond with their children, some women need to experience pregnancy to establish the bond with the baby and an adopted child will just not do. Overpopulation, reproduction, and adoption The issues of overpopulated areas will not be solved by adoptions, because the causes that produced the overpopulation in the first place have not been addressed. Addressing the real causes of overpopulation through both targeted aid and political pressure should make a difference. On the other hand, the practice of responsible parenthood in non-overpopulated areas will not cause them to become overpopulated, because the fertility of responsible parents will be, by definition, sustainable. Fertility rates in Europe, North America, and major countries in Asia and South America are already below replacement rate. So basically denying responsible parents their reproductive rights in one area of the globe, because of overpopulation caused by violations of reproductive rights or irresponsibility in other areas of the globe, is unfair and pointless. Adoption should be an act of love, love for the child, and not an obligation born out of some misguided sense of duty with the environment. . http://www.thefreedictionary.com... . http://www.unfpa.org... . http://jlp-law.com... . http://www.childwelfare.gov...