Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah is considering implementing
a population control policy following a doubling of the population in just 15
years.
The king’s religious consultative body, the Shoura
Council, has forwarded a report on the issue prepared by the Ministry of
Economy and Planning after it was unable to make a decision on the matter, Arab News reported.
Saudi economists have recommended measures be taken to
control population growth to preserve the country’s economic resources after it
doubled to nearly 20 million since the late 1990s – one of the highest growth
rates in the world.
“Families have to apply birth control in order to reduce
expenses and provide better education and facilities to their children,”
econmist Fadhel Al Bouainain told Arab News, adding birth control would
be essential to reducing pressure on the country’s infrastructure, including
health, education and housing, which are mostly provided for by the government.
“Birth control should be a strategic objective.
If the population [continues to] grow at this rate, it would become one of the
major hurdles in the way of the country’s economic growth.”
The Shoura Council has twice debated and voted on the
ministry’s recommendations but was unable to reach a conclusive decision so the
report has been directed to the King.
Birth control measures have been used in a handful of
other countries to slowdown population growth.
It is most notable in China, where the one child policy
has been implemented for decades.
In India, adults are only allowed to run for local
government if they have two or fewer children, while other countries have used
education campaigns and health strategies to naturally reduce the conception
rate.
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