The rapid reproducers paradox: Population control and individual procreative rights

Abstract

In this article, I consider the impact of population policies on individual rights (in a very broad sense of the word), a topic that has received disproportionately little attention in debates on the legitimacy of population rights. I first concentrate on arguments in favour of very radical antinatalist policies and assess these on the basis of rather strict conditions that are typical for liberal democratic morality, but I also show that many objections to these policies can apply to far less radical policies and under far less stringent conditions. My main objection to population policies is that they create a paradox: although they may be beneficial overall, they punish individuals who do not contribute to overpopulation and reward those who do.