In this research report I address the question: Is a ‘zero population growth policy’
morally justifiable in South Africa?1
My research report focuses on the relative value of two competing ethical claims:
that of an individual’s reproductive rights, weighed up against the claim that a
limitation of freedom in choice will tend to maximise human welfare and human
values.
I shall argue that the long-term welfare of the community and human development
for all who have potentialities, and not as presently for a privileged few, outweighs
the claim that reproductive rights are absolute.