Abstract

PIP: A preliminary meeting of Latin American delegates was held at San Jose, Costa Rica, in April 1974 before the World Population Conference. Their widely divergent views could be classified into 5 categories. Argentina and Uruguay favored rapid growth to promote development and internal markets for production. Brazil and Peru thought their growth rates acceptable, had no formal demographic objectives, and denounced the veiw that their social problems were related to population growth. Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, and Ecuador provide indirect programs to increase the opprotunity and quality of life of their people, believing that birth limitation is the natural consequence of development. Venezuela and Paraguay intervene minimally with local family planning programs. El Salvador, Dominican Republic and Honduras have explicit antinatalist policies and programs.