THE POPULATION PROBLEM
[To the Editor of TuE SrEer.vron.] SIR,-I find it difficult to understand Mr. Glass's letter criticising mine of last week. If, by the means I advocate, or by any other means, pregnant women could be dissuaded from making inexpert and dangerous attempts at abortion, then (1) the number of children born would be greater, (2) the amount of maternal morbidity and mortality would be less, and (3) fewer fertile women would be rendered infecund. I take it that Mr. Glass agrees with me so fur.
If more children were born, they would include a number of additional females, most of whom would grow up to swell the number of potentially fertile women in the next gere:ation ; and the women saved from sterility would swell the number of potentially fertile women in this generation. Assuming the degree of individual fertility to remain at the same level, the larger number of potentially fertile women would produce a larger total number of offspring. A larger total number of offspring would again produce both a larger number of potentially fertile women, and a larger number of offspring, in their turn. It seems as plain as a Pikestaff to me that this would go far towards arresting the decline in the population, which is apparently what Mr. Glass
wants. I shall be happy for him to correct me if I am mistaken in my chain of reasoning.
I should like to add that those who advocate a rise in the birth-rate have many other weapons at their disposal in addition to the one I advocated last week. They might for instance aim at removing the stupid regulations which deprive of their posts female teachers and other government and municipal employees on marriage. This rule is for all practical purposes just as effective as surgical sterilisation would be in rendering a large number of potentially fertile women actually infecund.
Another effective weapon against depopulation would be the removal of the present legal disabilities associated with illegitimacy..
What the advocates of an increasing birth-rate are clamouring for is an increase in the number of potentially fertile women Surely the first step is to persuade a larger number of the potentially fertile women who already exist, to become actually fertile. Increase in the birth-rate would be attained just as well by inducing a larger number of potentially fertile women to add a small contribution each to the birth-rate, as to leave many of them completely infecund and expect the remainder to have large families.—Yours truly, 127 Harley Street, London, W.1.
NORMAN HAIRE.
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