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C'est en Suisse, dans le Pays de Vaud, que T. R. Malthus estime avoir trouvé la meilleure compréhension et la plus parfaite illustration de son « principe de population ». Lors du court séjour qu'il y fit, il rencontra un paysan qui, écrit-il, « me parut comprendre le principe de population à peu près aussi bien qu'aucun de ceux avec qui j'ai eu occasion de m'en entretenir ». Pour cet homme, « la misère et la faim, qui dévorent la plus grande partie des habitans, ne découragent pas les autres de se marier et de mettre au monde des enfans qu'ils ne peuvent nourrir. Cette habitude de se marier de bonne heure, ajoutoit-il, pourroit être appelée le vice du pays.

News in brief: [Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu voices strong support for family planning]

On June 16, the Day of the African Child, Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa voiced his strong support for family planning. At a Cape Town news conference, the church leader said, "Planned parenthood is an obligation of those who are Christians. Our church thinks we should use scientific methods that assist in planning of families... It is far better to have children that we want than to say you must have children, no matter what." In regard to ICPD, the archbishop said, "The call that is being put out for this UN conference...is not just a Western thing. There are very many in other parts of the world who believe the issues raised there are crucial issues." The UN Children's Fund sponsors the annual Day of the African Child to call attention to the problems facing African children. The date was chosen in memory of the children of Soweto, South Africa, who were massacred on 16 June 1976, when Africans tried to speak out against the brutality of apartheid.

The position of Islamic tradition on contraception

The first source of Islamic law, the Koran, does not mention contraception. On the contrary, most of the 'sayings' (hadith) of the Prophet Mohammed (the second source of Islamic law) on the subject, tolerate coitus interruptus (azl). The position commonly and historically shared by Islamic jurists coincides with Al-Ghazali's interpretation according to which, under many circumstances, coitus interruptus is a blameworthy but tolerated (makruh) act. However, there has always been a minority of jurists opposed to contraception. Analogical reasoning (qiyas, the fourth source of Islamic law) makes it possible to legitimize most modern contraceptive techniques. Nowadays, because of the risks of overpopulation, the majority of Islamic governments have passed family planning laws; however among the masses the wrong belief that Islamic law prohibits contraception is spreading.

The effects of religious beliefs on the health care practices of the Amish

The religious and cultural beliefs of the Amish result in many health care beliefs and practices which are significantly different from the dominant American culture. For example, the Amish are excluded from social security and health insurance coverage; they have different perceptions of health and illness; they do not practice birth control; they often lack the preventive practices of immunizations and prenatal care; and they may use a variety of traditional and nontraditional health care providers. Only by understanding the religiocultural belief system of this minority religious sect can nurse practitioners effectively meet the health care needs of their Amish patients.

Contraceptive patterns of religious and racial groups in the United States, 1955-76: convergence and distinctiveness

A number of studies have reported data on contraceptive use among white Protestant and white Catholic couples in the United States, but this paper is the first to study a large sample of couples with other or no religious affiliation, as well as black couples by religion, using multivariate controls. Using a nationally representative sample of 14,000 married women aged 15-44, we find convergence among white Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish couples in contraceptive patterns between 1955 and the mid-1970s, but large differences remained at the latter date, even after multivariate controls. Among black couples, differences by religious affiliation are smaller, but differences between white and black couples within religion categories are substantial. We conclude that religious differences are not artifacts of an incomplete demographic transition, and that religious affiliation is an indispensable datum for understanding contraceptive choice in the United States.

Abortion: why the arguments fail

Christians have so far failed to show why abortion is an affront to Christian convictions. Rather than arguing when life begins, Christians must show that Christianity as a way of life which recognizes God as Lord of life makes abortion unthinkable.