How many of us have looked at a picture of a street full of kids or an article about overpopulation and shaken our heads, thinking “All they need are condoms”? How many know what obstetric fistula is? Or care? How many consider the connection between population growth and stress on the earth? April is Informed Women Month and on April 10th in the Campus Center lobby, “Women in the Know” will address these issues.

As a participant in the National Wildlife Federation’s Women for Sustainable Development Institute this past January, I have come to greatly appreciate the multitude of struggles facing women around the world today, especially in terms of reproductive health and family choices. At the conference, we heard from a wide range of speakers and representatives regarding the effects of population growth on the environment, as well as the connection between women’s health and population growth itself. With environmental topics, it is well-established that most things, if not all, are interconnected. The links among these concerns are no different.

The better the healthcare and reproductive education that women have, the smaller families they will want to have, and the fewer resources they will use. Furthermore, family planning assistance and education programs as provided by the UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) and similar organizations are important for not only the livelihoods of thousands of women and their families all over the world, but for the environment as well.

Currently, in the House of Representatives, there is a bill on the table working primarily to amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, which aimed to improve voluntary family planning programs in developing countries, among other things. The new Focus on Family Health Worldwide Act, H.R. 188 [109th] is a call to action following the de-funding of the UNFPA mission by the United States government for four consecutive years. In 2006, it came down to an anonymous donor to provide the financial assistance, $36 million, needed to keep the UNFPA programs running.

Although the event aims to engage women on our campus in thinking about the issues aforementioned, men are welcome to attend and participate, especially considering the large part males play in population growth. With support from organizations such as Population Action International and the National Wildlife Federation, as well as our campus-based organizations, SEA and SARO, I hope to bridge the gaps among women’s health, reproductive education, smaller families, and healthier families, ultimately leading to a healthier world.