News from Population Matters.
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US abortion rights under threat: what’s next?
On 1 December, the US Supreme Court heard the oral argument in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the country’s most important abortion case in decades. Here’s what happened and why it matters. A very brief history The right to abortion is not legally enshrined in the US, and individual states can set their own…
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Welcome to Gilead: how population fears drive women’s rights abuses
Welcome to Gilead, Population Matters’ latest report, expands on the connections between extreme pronatalism and reproductive rights restrictions through eight case studies: Iran, China, Turkey, Russia, Hungary, Poland, Germany, and the US. The report’s author, PM Researcher and Policy Adviser Monica Scigliano, explains. Coercive pronatalism As those of us who fight for women’s rights know,…
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COP26: Why population matters
A crucial UN climate conference (COP26) is taking place in Glasgow over the next few days. One factor unlikely to be on the agenda is human population growth. Whilst the relationship between population and climate change is complex, investing in empowering population solutions is undeniably positive and key to averting disaster. PM Digital and Communications…
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A Booming Success: Population Matters’ 2021 Conference
On 8th October, Population Matters hosted Boom or Bust, our online and in-person conference addressing the intersection of population and economics, with a focus on how societies can flourish with a smaller, more sustainable population. A truly global cast of speakers – beaming in from Taiwan, Spain, Ghana, France, the US, UK, and Kenya –…
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Safeguarding rights, empowering communities
As we mark World Contraception Day on September 26th and International Safe Abortion Day on September 28th, grassroots providers of sexual and reproductive health services continue to face unprecedented challenges in ensuring access to contraceptives and comprehensive abortion care for the world’s most vulnerable women and girls. Population Matters’ Empower to Plan Coordinator, Catriona Spaven-Donn,…
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Talking population at the World Conservation Congress
From 3-10 September, Population Matters attended the World Conservation Congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the sunny, warm climes of Marseille. Postponed from last year due to COVID-19, the Congress brought together a range of stakeholders, including governments, NGOs, scientists, business, representatives of indigenous people and the public, to discuss…
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The Sahel: Empowering women key to averting disaster
The Sahel region of Africa is on a dangerous trajectory of rapid population growth and catastrophic climate warming. Empowering women in this area is key to saving and improving countless lives. We spoke to Alisha Graves, Population Matters Expert Advisor and Founder and Executive Director of OASIS, which delivers crucial work to advance education and…
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Earth Overshoot Day: No Plan(et) B
Today is Earth Overshoot Day, the date on which humanity has used up all the natural resources the Earth can regenerate within a year. Despite urgent calls to avoid a return to our destructive pre-pandemic status quo, we are still hurtling in the wrong direction. It is high time for those in power to confront…
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Field report: changing minds and lives in Uganda’s fishing communities
At the end of last year, we launched our Empower to Plan campaign with Family Medical Point to ensure that every woman and young person in Abaita Ababiri, Uganda, has free and safe access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. With your help, we raised £5,000 to support Family Medical Point in reaching 1,759 community-members and…
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China’s changing child policy: what does it mean?
China’s panic over the consequences of a falling birth rate is typical of concerns across Asia and increasingly, the world’s wealthiest countries. The Chinese government’s response – moving its family size limit from one to two to three children – is a typical mix of apparent liberalisation and continued state control. Our Head of Campaigns,…