In a post in the National Review’s “The Corner,” Christopher White, international director of operations for the World Youth Alliance, responds to a New York Times opinion piece published Wednesday in which columnist Nicholas Kristof hailed family planning as a solution to “many of the global problems that confront us.” White writes, “Somewhere along [Kristof’s] many trips around the globe … he’s failed to realize the ineffectiveness of contraception and see the real needs of poor populations — particularly mothers and girls.”

White addresses a number of claims from Kristof’s piece, providing counter-arguments, and concludes, “While there are cultural considerations that must be taken into account, many of the problems of maternal health, sexual education, and reproductive health aren’t any more unique to the Congo than they are to the Bronx. …  Investing in education for girls and proper care for mothers will prove to be a far more effective use of resources and will ultimately yield a world with exceedingly better conditions, not only for ‘baby seven billion’ but for future generations” (11/3).