Destroying Poverty One Less Baby at a Time       

Birth control is something every young adult should know about and how it is used. The problem in today‘s society is the price of these birth control options. Contraceptives are vitally important in society, especially the poorer ones. In these poorer atmospheres women are stuck with second and third rate birth control and contraceptives (if any at all) and, therefore, are at a higher risk of getting pregnant. The problem that arises is that these women are the people who cannot really afford to properly bring a child into their world and raise it with all the care that the child deserves because of their financial situation. According to New York Times, columnist Nikolas Kristof asserts, “the next generation of contraceptives [needs to be] cheaper, more effective, and easier to use.” Throughout his article, “Birth control Over Baldness” he uses facts, descriptions, and some humor, among other rhetorical techniques to convey his argument for birth control research funding as shall be discovered in this paper.

He starts his article out with a bold and intriguing statement: “Over the next decade, some astonishing new technologies will spread to fight global poverty. They’re called contraceptives” (Kristof 1). This eye catching declaration really draws the reader in and makes them want to read more. When most people consider the “war on global poverty,” and its possible solutions, they think of charitable organizations and benefits and large donations hurting their pocketbooks, but not something as simple as birth control. He uses this to capture the emotional feeling of the readers who would like to discover the reasons behind his apparent declaration.

Kristof gives a brief overview of the history of contraception that “dates back to Ancient Egypt, where amorous couples relied on condoms made of linen.” He uses this as logos to stimulate the logical reasoning of the audience through drawing reference to the historical events. He then injects a hint of humor comparing our knowledge in space and our lack of knowledge in stopping pregnancies. He divulges that the answer is funding. NASA and outer space research gets millions upon millions of dollars per year, whereas birth control receives the tiniest fraction of that. He really hits this idea home by saying “if only family planning was treated as seriously as balding! (Kristof 1)” This statement really brings to the front how lightly we as a society take contraception. This shows people would rather be attractive than stop pregnancies from taking place. People who cannot afford birth control are usually the people who are not as well off, therefore cannot really afford to give a child the proper support for a career and therefore the vicious cycle of poverty continues. The humour has an emotional appeal to the readers as they feel the liveliness of the writer’s argument.

After emphasizing exactly how birth control factors into poverty, and proving that it plays a vital part in keeping certain people at the poverty level, Kristof then present the facts about what the new age of contraception is, and how it will help. This draws ethical appeal to the readers as he vividly explains the importance of using the new age of contraceptives. He begins to talk about a ring that will “release hormones [that] last a year” (Kristof 1). By giving this as an option to women and also having it be affordable, $5-10 is the ideal price, Kristof shows his point that women would then be able to not worry as much about getting pregnant and could then focus on studies or advancing in their jobs.

Kristof appeals a lot to people’s emotional responses by playing up the protection against diseases, especially H.I.V. By appealing to people’s hearts on a sensitive issue he gets to really start thinking about how important investing money into contraceptives because not only could it stop their children from getting pregnant it could maybe “prevent the spread of H.I.V. and other sexually transmitted infections. He explains offers statistical data on how research indicates the possibility of controlling the spread of HIV using contraceptives.

Another way he plays on the emotions of the readers is by addressing the need, and development of male contraceptives, other than condoms. He talks about “reverse sterilization” which is an “injection that hardens to create a plug in the duct carrying the sperm” (Kristof 2). Although this might sound a little extreme to men, but to appeal to women reading his article the idea of having male contraception is pleasing to many, especially if it is completely reversible just like the pill or the ring.

The fact that this article was written for the New York Times carries some clout. This is a publication that knows what they are doing and has respected writers behind them.  He is writing this article knowing his audience and knowing they probably have the money to contribute to this research, but also to just buy their young adults, or themselves, the adequate birth control they need. He advertises this new birth control as straight forward and simple along with the ability to protect against diseases. It appeals to his readers, who in his mind are the people who can help end this endless cycle of poverty.

The only problem with Kristof’s approach is that he forgets that some of his audiences are proponents of Abstinence only education for their children and the fact that he is urging them to contribute to contraceptives is spitting in the face of their ideals. These people would use this article as a call to arms to enforce more abstinence education into schools because obviously sex in the problem, which Nikolas even addressed earlier that the problem was inferior and over priced birth control.

All in all Nikolas Kristof did an amazing job proving his point while managing not to sound like a man talking about pregnancy and female issues. His perfectly timed glib is matched by his precision to detail and evidence. After reading this article there is hardly a way any reader could say “birth control is not one of the main factors of poverty”. Kristof eloquently makes his point and makes the readers actively think about what poverty really is. That is the essence of persuasion.

Works Cited

Kristof, Nikolas A. Birth Control over Baldness. “The New York Times” 26 September 2010.   Retrieved from:    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/opinion/26kristof.html?ref=todayspaper