Warren Buffet has made news again, offering his services as an economic consultant to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Mr. Buffet is the Mr. Universe of business, the "Oracle of Omaha," the "Wizard of Wall Street." He's the world's second richest man ($35 billion), chairman and controlling shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway, a holding company comprised of some 60 corporations (2002 revenues over $42 billion). Clearly, Mr. Buffet knows business.

Mr. Buffet is also a major donor to abortion and population control causes. Recent grants include: $4.7 million to International Projects Assistance Services, a company that makes portable suction abortion devices and supplies them, along with clinics and training, in 11 countries; $3.5 million to the Population Council, the outfit that brought RU-486 to the U.S.; $2.1 million to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and 11 local chapters; $1.5 million to the National Abortion Rights Action League (now renamed "NARAL Pro-Choice America"); and lesser sums to the Center for Reproductive Rights (the legal group that helped strike down state bans on partial-birth abortion) and the non-Catholic organization calling itself "Catholics for a Free Choice."

Biographer Roger Lowenstein attributes Mr. Buffet's interest in population control to a "Malthusian dread that overpopulation would aggravate problems in all other areas – such as housing, food, even human survival." Human survival? Food, vaccines, clean water, education contribute to human survival. The groups he funds aren't concerned with human survival. Their "services" are designed to kill off members of the next generation.

Worse, his generous funding of the abortion industry may escalate a thousand-fold after his death, when his shares in Berkshire (the bulk of his net worth) pass to the Buffet Foundation, increasing its assets from about $25 million to $25 billion or more. Can anything be done to change Mr. Buffet's penchant for funding anti-family, anti-life groups?

Recently, to mollify the sales staff (primarily homemakers) of The Pampered Chef (TPC) which Berkshire acquired last year, and to protect TPC's earnings, Berkshire ended its corporate contributions program, under which pre-tax earnings were donated to charities (like the Buffet Foundation) designated by shareholders in proportion to their holdings. One journalist suggested Mr. Buffet reached this decision by following a precept "in his 'Owner's Manual' for Berkshire shareholders: 'We feel noble intentions should be checked periodically against results.'"

If Mr. Buffet were to follow in earnest this excellent advice, he'd see the dire results of the population control measures he's funding. Far from validating the "overpopulation" myth, results show a real and far greater danger to human survival – worldwide population decline and a demographic inversion, with proportionately more elderly people than young people entering the labor force. That means too few workers to support national economies and social programs for the elderly and needy. The U.N. Population Division forecasts continued population declines in developed countries, with 33 countries having fewer people in 2050 than today: 14% fewer people in Japan; 22% fewer in Italy; 30-50% fewer in former Soviet satellites. The percentage of the population over 60 in developed regions will grow to 32% in 2050, from 19% today. Already there are more elderly than children aged 0-14.

Even in less developed regions, total fertility has fallen from 6 to 3 children per woman. By 2050, fertility will decline to replacement level and may continue falling.

Abortion has failed women and caused untold suffering to them and their families. But unless Mr. Buffet and others like him stop funding abortion and population control, worse is yet to come. Mrs. Wills is associate director for education, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities.

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Mrs. Wills is associate director for education, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities.

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