Letters
Family planner
Sir: I am indeed flattered to earn a mention from my constituent, Colin Welch, in his article "Population" or people?' (Centre-' Piece, 16 February). Alas, he misrepre- sents me. Had he read my letter properly he would have seen that I was not denoun- cing 'over-population as the cause and Fontraception as the cure of all Ethiopia's ills'. I said: It is a matter of grave concern that, in discussion of the Ethopian crisis, Population growth often is still overlooked or dismissed as irrelevant.' I then went on to make a plea for the integration of family Planning projects into long-term develop- ment plans.
Colin Welch betrays a woeful ignorance of what is happening in family planning in Africa. The traditional methods of family Planning which he asserts confidently are nigh universal' are fast disappearing as rural people move to the towns. A priority task of family planning associations and governments is to _try to encourage the re- newal of these methods with breast-feeding and child spacing programmes. And his as- sumptions that 'mechanical contraceptives' are 'widely available, often free or subsid- ised are far from the truth. The World Bank report on 'Accelerated Development m Sub-Saharan Africa' states that there have been few efforts to provide family Planning information and education pro- grammes in Africa on the lines of the suc- cessful Asian programmes. There is, nevertheless, a hint that Colin Welch does perhaps appreciate that popu- lation growth is not quite the blessing that he and Lord Bauer would have us believe. Tucked away at the end of his article, after the routine jibes at those of us who believe family planning to be a positive and not negative factor in family life, we find a reference to the modification of reproduc- tive habits wherever Western ideas prevail or catastrophe actually threatens. Quite so, Mr Welch. And is catastrophe not threatening Ethiopia? Here is a country With severe multiple problems — and 43 Per cent of its population under the age of 15.
All I am saying is that family planning must be an integral part of the develop- ment package, which is essential if Ethio- pia and other countries in Africa are to have any kind of long-term future. Charles Morrison MP
House of Commons, London SW1
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