(From The Observer – the official newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockford – “Life Lines” – May 7, 2010)

By Patricia Pitkus Bainbridge

Director, Respect Life Office

God’s Greatest Creation

April 22, 2010 marked the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Ostensibly designed to raise awareness of environmental issues, Earth Day promoters encourage people to engage activities designed to “save the planet.”

It’s true, as Pope Benedict XVI writes in Caritas in Veritate, we have a “grave duty to hand the earth on to future generations in such a condition that they too can worthily inhabit it and continue to cultivate it.”  Therefore, it would seem reasonable for the faithful to at least promote the programs of the Earth Day Network.

Unfortunately, most (if not all) Earth Day groups also advocate for—or at least tolerate—legal abortion. They also promote contraception distribution and population “control” programs. As partnerships between environmentalists and abortion advocacy/contraception pushing groups continue to grow, it becomes problematic for the faithful to promote the Earth Day Network.

Ignoring the fact that fertility rates have fallen and are below replacement levels in many countries, most environmental groups in the Earth Day Network insist that “over population” is a problem. As former Boston Herald columnist, Don Feder, says, the falling birthrates around the world “could result in the greatest crisis humanity will confront in this century . . . Humanity is failing to reproduce itself in sufficient numbers to maintain our civilization.”

It’s a shame that these environmental groups continue to spread misinformation about population issues and have aligned themselves with the culture of death.

One supporter of Earth Day—the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—claims that “the health of the planet and its inhabitants depends on the reproductive choices we make today.”

Saying that “[p]opulation growth is an environmental issue,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and its local affiliates joined the “national coalition of groups sponsoring Earth Day 1990.”

In 2007, The Daily Mail (United Kingdom) ran a story entitled, “Meet the women who won’t have babies—because they’re not eco friendly.” One of the women highlighted in the article, Toni Vernelli, was “steralised [sic] at age 27 to reduce her carbon footprint.” She remarked, “[h]aving children is selfish. It's all about maintaining your genetic line at the expense of the planet.”

Writing for the environmentally friendly Slate.com in 2009, Nina Shen Rastogi, truthfully reports that both hormonal contraceptives and condoms take a “toll on our environment.” However, Rastogi still recommends using either, writing: “No matter what type you choose, it’s guaranteed to have less of an impact on the environment than the unwitting creation of a fossil-fuel burning, diaper-wearing copy of yourself.”

For this year’s Earth Day, The Huffington Post offered seven suggestions “for Earth Day that actually matter.” One of those suggestions was “don’t have a baby.”

Another example of someone considering the “environmental benefits to the childfree life” is Lisa Hymas, senior editor of Grist. While introducing the “GINK (green inclinations, no kids) Manifesto,” Hymas writes, “I am thoroughly delighted by the fact that the most humane thing for me to do is to have no children at all.”

Earth Day promoter, Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), blames “human overpopulation” for the “current mass-extinction crisis” of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Their solution to this non-existent population problem? Follow in Planned Parenthood’s footsteps and distribute condoms at Earth Day events. The CBD even had specially designed condom wrappers featuring “clever slogans” for “six separate species: the polar bear, snail darter, spotted owl, American burying beetle, jaguar, and coquí guajón rock frog.” Clearly, CDB cares more for animals that it does for humans.

As our Holy Father wisely remarked, “How disturbing it is that not infrequently the very social and political groups that, admirably, are most attuned to the awe of God’s creation pay scant attention to the marvel of life in the womb.”

Catholicvote.org decided to celebrate this year’s Earth Day “by celebrating nature’s greatest gift—human life.” Their stated goal: “to get Americans to think more deeply about what it means to truly respect the Earth and creation. Trendy environmental groups too often view humans as the enemy of nature. We believe human beings are God’s greatest creation, and the Earth’s greatest resource.”

What a wonderful idea!