By the way, I share Gates’s fear that if humanity persists in juxtaposing exponential population expansion atop linear resource growth, we will all land in a nightmarish Malthusian dystopia. I’m troubled, however, by his apparent comfort in using coercive and mendacious tactics to trick poor people into dangerous and unwanted contraceptive programs. The proven paths to zero population growth are the mitigation of poverty and empowerment of women. Women with alternative career opportunities seldom choose the heavy and hazardous burden of serial maternity. Virtually every nation with a stable
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