PROPOSED MEASURES TO REDUCE FERTILITY, BY UNIVERSALITY OR SELECTIVITY OF IMPACT IN THE U.S.
Having Universal Impact:
Social Constraints:
Restructure family:
- a) Postpone or avoid marriage
- b) Alter image of ideal family size
Compulsory education of children
Encourage increased homosexuality
Educate for family limitation
Fertility control agents in water supply
Encourage women to work
Selective Impact Depending on Socio-Economic Status:
Economic Deterrents/Incentives
Modify tax policies:
- a) Substantial marriage tax
- b) Child Tax
- c) Tax married more than single
- d) Remove parents’ tax exemption
- d) Additional taxes on parents with more than 1 or 2 children in school
Reduce/eliminate paid maternity leave or benefits
Reduce/eliminate children’s or family allowances
Bonuses for delayed marriage and greater child-spacing
Pensions for women of 45 with less than N children
Eliminate Welfare payments after first 2 children
Chronic Depression
Require women to work and provide few child care facilities
Limit/eliminate publicly-financed medical care, scholarships, housing, loans and subsidies to families with more than N children.
Social Controls
Compulsory abortion of out-of-wedlock pregnancies
Compulsory sterilization of all who have two children except for a few who would be allowed three
Confine childbearing to only a limited number of adults
Stock certificate type permits for children
Housing Policies:
- a) Discouragement of private home ownership
b) Stop awarding public housing based on family size
Measures Predicated on Existing Motivation to Prevent Unwanted Pregnancy
Payments to encourage sterilization
Payments to encourage contraception
Payments to encourage abortion
Abortion and sterilization on demand
Allow harmless contraceptives to be distributed nonmedically
Improve contraceptive technology
Make contraception truly available and accessible
Improve maternal health care, with family planning a core element
