The Right to Reproductive Autonomy | Robert Engelman

Reproductive autonomy and empowering choice are key to both human rights and planetary health. Robert Engelman, researcher, writer, former newspaper reporter and author of More: Population, Nature, and What Women Want, joins us. Highlights include: How women have been controlling their fertility for thousands of years through various forms of contraception; What 10,000 years of history reveal about the link between the erosion of women’s reproductive rights, population growth, and environmental degradation; How women lost control over both the timing and frequency of their pregnancies as patriarchal cultural norms became more established; How fertility rates have declined alongside gains in gender equality over the past century and why continuing this trend is vital for both reproductive and ecological justice. See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript: https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/robert-engelman   ABOUT US OVERSHOOT | Shrink Toward Abundance [Formerly The Overpopulation Podcast] OVERSHOOT tackles today’s interlocked social and ecological crises driven by humanity’s excessive population and consumption. The podcast explores needed narrative, behavioral, and system shifts for recreating human life in balance with all life on Earth. With expert guests from wide-ranging disciplines, we examine the forces underlying overshoot: from patriarchal pronatalism that is fueling overpopulation, to growth-biased economic systems that lead to consumerism and social injustice, to the dominant worldview of human supremacy that subjugates animals and nature. Our vision of shrinking toward abundance inspires us to seek pathways of transformation that go beyond technological fixes toward a new humanity that honors our interconnectedness with all beings.  Hosted by Nandita Bajaj and Alan Ware. Brought to you by Population Balance.  Learn more at populationbalance.org Copyright 2025 Population Balance