The Role of Healthcare Providers in Our Overpopulation Crisis

GREGUŠ, Jan and John GUILLEBAUD. The Role of Healthcare Providers in Our Overpopulation Crisis. In XXIII. FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Sydney. 2021.

Basic information

• Original name: The Role of Healthcare Providers in Our Overpopulation Crisis
• Authors: GREGUŠ, Jan (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution) and John GUILLEBAUD (826 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).
• Edition: XXIII. FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Sydney, 2021.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Conference abstract
• Field of Study: 60302 Ethics
• Country of publisher: United States of America
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14210/21:00122689
• Organization unit: Faculty of Arts
• Keywords in English: overpopulation; population growth; pandemics; environmental degradation; climate change; women’s health and rights; family planning; contraception
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

Overpopulation exacerbates environmental and health problems, from climate change to biodiversity loss and pandemics. It is the “upstream” driver of numerous existential threats and also a major obstacle for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Addressing overpopulation and population growth compassionately - always - should be axiomatic for all health-care providers. The work of this profession, which has dramatically reduced death rates since the 1800s while keeping birth rates high, unintentionally bears some responsibility for the increase: one billion then, eight billion looming. Therefore, healthcare providers, especially those in gynaecology and obstetrics, must be uniquely motivated to: (1) become involved in rights-based policies and services with unbroken supply chains, ensuring optimal contraceptive care is available to all women and couples worldwide, (2) remove well-known tangible (unavailable contraceptives) and intangible (cultural, religious and mis-informational) barriers to women’s freedom to access family planning everywhere, while achieving full gender equity, especially in education, (3) sound the alarm on how overpopulation risks all planetary life, through optimal environmental education both for colleagues and the public, and (4) campaign for a maximum of two children per family (i.e. replacement fertility, and ideally less) on principle.

Links

• MUNI/A/1157/2020, interní kód MU: Name: Aspekty soudobé filozofie III

Investor: Masaryk University