Saturday July 11, 1987 was arguably a red‐letter day in the history of our planet: if the demographic computer predictions were correct, that was the date on which the world's population rose above five billion for the first time (Hill, 1987). In fact, that date and statistic passed relatively unnoticed but in other respects there has been in recent years increased interest in population forecasts either in respect of individual countries or in respect of wider areas including whole continents, one of the major causes of such increased interest being the lobby or series of lobbies which have been urging that birth‐rates need to be increased. Nowhere has such a lobby been more vociferous than within the ambit of the European Communities in general and the European Parliament in particular, seeking action by the Community and by individual countries, including the UK, aimed at increasing birth rates. This article seeks to examine the arguments for and against such possible policy measures.