Access and accessibility to healthcare, including family planning, should be a right for every individual on this planet. Everyone should have autonomy over their own body, medical decisions, and future. In many underdeveloped (and even parts of developed) countries, it is extremely difficult to have access to quality, affordable, and safe medical care. Bridging the gap between individuals and healthcare will help not only with overpopulation but will also help build healthier societies. Therefore, family planning should be a part of a comprehensive strategy for overpopulation.
Of course, there are limits to family planning education. Overpopulation is a complex issue and needs to be addressed through a variety of avenues including but not limited to: sustainable agriculture, access healthcare, appropriate economic development, access to education, building up infrastructure, respecting cultural values, gender equality, cohesive political involvement, WASH programs, and building community capacity.
There are many different ways to discuss and strategize overpopulation, but individuals, communities, and countries all need to be a part of the discussion. As the Millennium Development Goals demonstrated, and the Sustainable Development Goals are showing, countries across the world can have overlapping problems, but still, individually problem solve and enact plans that are culturally and country specific. In fact, Tanzania was able to make great progress on some of their most pressing health, and environmental issues. There is still more work to be done to reduce health disparities, but they are moving in a positive direction.
