ON Nov 25, 1966, 85 religious and scientific leaders released a statement on the problem of population control.1 Twenty-one of them were Nobel laureates. The document was drawn up by Dr. Edward L. Tatum of the Rockefeller Institute and Dr. John C. Bennett, President of Union Theological Seminary, New York. Among other things, they said "Future generations will hold today's leaders morally responsible if we fail to recognize and deal with the world population crisis while it is still manageable on the basis of free choice."
Although the appeal was primarily to the Pope, it applies equally well to physicians, for it is they who are in a position to provide women with the knowledge to make pregnancy a matter of free choice.
The people are ahead of their leaders, as is so often the case. A recent survey conducted by the Population Council uncovered the fact that 84%