Family planning

Abstract

"The propensity to target groups with high fertility for administration of some magic bullet seems to have its roots in a collective middle-class consciousness bred on innumerable state-produced images of teeming crowds and starving people - images in which decision-makers see nothing of themselves. Perhaps it is this clear demarcation of 'them' and 'us' that makes the entire scenario so scary. Invariably, high fertility is added on to the list of sins of which the subjugated 'other' (the Dalit, the Muslim, the "North Indian", the poor) is held guilty. This colours all debates on population policy, contraception and family planning."