Family Planning and the “God Gulf” (Half the Sky Chap. 8) #sjbc

This post is part of the April Social Justice Book Club. This week we are discussing Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

Conversation Questions for Chapter Eight:

This chapter presents some hard political truths intertwined with complex religious beliefs which directly interface with mothers and babies in developing countries. Regardless of political party affiliation, what are your thoughts on the “gag rule”? Abstinence only sex education mandates?

The spread of AIDS is often blamed on promiscuity in Asian and Africa. Was it surprising to find that “for women the lethal risk factor is often not promiscuity but marriage?

“With the best of intentions, pro-life conservatives have taken some positions in reproductive health that actually hurt those whom they are trying to help—and that result in more abortions.” Pg. 134 After reading this chapter, would you agree that some pro-life positions have actually led to more abortions rather than less?

Source: The above questions come from the organization Global Women.

Please share with us your responses to the questions above or any thoughts or questions you have about family planning in the comments section below.

The Social Justice Book Club is a project of Independence Rock Group: Center for Faith, Ethics, and Social Justice. Please consider supporting the Social Justice Book Club and our other projects. Find other posts about the Book Club and Half the Sky here.