Beyond 8 Billion (Series)

November 26, 1975 marked the end of the peak of American political will to deal with the mounting population crisis. This was the day that President Ford approved NSDM 314, committing the U.S. to a bold policy of population growth control. The peak lasted less than six years and then the momentum plummeted and U.S. commitment has since diminished every year. In this series of articles, Stephen D. Mumford, DrPH, founder and President of the North Carolina-based Center for Research on Population and Security, provides the details of what happened to the momentum, why this happened, and role of the Vatican in the destruction of American political will to deal with the overpopulation problem.