"Legislative Attitudes Toward Overpopulation: The Case of El Salvador."

Abstract

The members of the 1972-1974 national assembly of El Salvador were asked to complete questionnaires on population in an effort to determine what their general attitude toward the population problem was. Indications were that the legislators were factually aware of the dimensions of population growth and the existing overpopulation and that both problems were seen as impediments to economic progress. They also showed a willingness to act quickly on various public programs for controlling population growth primarily in the areas of public education and healht. However while admitting the urgency of the problems none of the legislators had individually done anything about them and no such plans were underway. They indicated in their responses that they would have to play a major role in formulating any population control policy and that such a policy would probably concentrate on measures to deal with overpopulation in the short run i.e. to cut the population growth rate by educating and informing the populous both with general and governmental publicity and through sex education in schools. The policy would also in part attempt to alleviate the general social conditions that the legislators perceived as contributing to high birthrates i.e. illiteracy lack of sex information unemployment rural isolation unavailability of contraceptives and lack of family planning Support would be sought from the public in spite of the Catholic Church though the Church would eventually have to be considered in the formulation of a final policy. The fact of religious opposition plus the fact that the government has not yet embarked on a policy make the adoption and implementation of such a policy unlikely in the forseeable future. The ligislators themselves were pessimistic as to the possibility of controlling the population and felt that in view of its rapid growth the country would not be able to provide educational and employment opportunites for the advancement of the people in the next 20 years.(Authors modified)