A couple of weeks ago, I had discussed A Matter of Rights in connection with the population problem and had concluded that post with

Does a person have a right to inflict pain and suffering on another person? If my action were to lead to immense suffering, and I plead that if you do not allow me to freely act you are impinging on some basic right I have, would you allow me that “right”? Or will you circumscribe my “right” to act as I please because otherwise it results in unnecessary pain and suffering to a human being?

For the benefit of those who have not been following this thread, I had proposed a mechanism, a market for reproductive rights. Some people reacted violently to the proposal. How can you, you horrible person, ever think of such a horror in which a person’s basic inalienable right to reproduce is taken away? How dare you suggest that I give up my right to have as many children as I please, you communist, you you socialist? How can you suggest such a hateful thing as a market for reproductive rights? Are children things or commodities to be traded in a marketplace, you heartless creation of Satan?

I apologize to all you sensitive souls who are so protective of your rights to reproduce. I apologize to all you wonderful people who are so concerned about the rights of other people to produce as many children as their hearts desire. Now get your butts out there and help out this one and the baby she carries. And not just those two, when you are done with it, go help out the 20 million or so much like those two who have no rights. You who are so concerned about the rights of those who produced these disposable children, let me see how concerned are you all about the rights of the children who are produced as the consequence of the unlimited rights to reproduction that you grant everyone.

What about the rights of the children? What do you have for these? Are they human or are they disposable?

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In a perfect world, there would not be any resource constraints. In a perfect world, choices will not have to be made: you would be able to eat your cake and have it too. But in this world, where there are limits — not just physical limits but limits to how much compassion and care that humans can display — in this real world of real limits, there can be no unlimited rights. If you grant unlimited rights for people to produce children, then you could end up condemning millions of children to subhuman existence. And that is what I see every day scores of times. I cannot turn my eyes away from the inhuman neglect of humans. Are you people blind?

I wish I could post this one picture all over the country on billboards that carried the “INDIA SHINING” advertisements. I want people to not be able to turn away like they do when they see the little hands begging for a living.

A few years ago I was at a lecture at Berkeley where Joel Cohen was speaking about the population problem. About an hour into the lecture which was accompanied by a slide presentation, he said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I am about to talk about the ravages of civil war in Sudan. Some of you may find the next slide disturbing. It is a fine Spring day outside. If you don’t wish to see the next slide, I suggest you look out the window.” Then for the next twenty minutes he spoke about war with that one slide up on the screen. You had to look at it, you could not not see it. The slide is imprinted in my brain. It showed in the foreground a small child with a disproportionately huge head compared to its skinny limbs sitting on its haunches in a bare field; in the background were half a dozen huge vultures patiently waiting for their meal. The child was not yet dead.

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“What about me?”

“What do you mean, what about me?”

“Where are my rights? Where are my rights to a loving family? To food, to education? Why am I burdened with having to care for this 2 month old? Who is going to look after me?”

“Don’t ask me. I did not produce you.”

“Well, what do you do?”

“I am a human rights activist. I spend my time protecting the rights of people to reproduce and to see that no one encroaches on those rights.”

“What about me?”

“Listen, the government is supposed to look after you. They are spending 100,0000,0000 crores of rupees in the support of the poor. Have you heard the minister proposing the budget? Lots of stuff for the poor. So don’t look to me for a handout. As far as I am concerned, you and that baby will be fine. I am busy protecting the reproductive rights of people.”

“What about me? Do you think I will be able to survive for too long begging on this local station in Mumbai? What happens to me when at night this baby starts to cry because it is hungry? What happens when I start to cry and feel like shrugging the baby on to the train track? Who is going to comfort me and who is going to sing me to sleep?”

{I took the picture yesterday at the Lower Parel station at 4:45 PM.}

Goodbye, good night and may your god go with you.