Scientists’ Warning: Remove the Barriers to Contraception Access, for Health of Women and the Planet

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This is an excellent contribution. See my suggestions on the manuscript re: minor grammar and style corrections, suggested literature citations, and a few places where you might develop the argument more thoroughly.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

English good. A few minor suggestions on mss.

Author Response

Dear reviewer, first of all, thank you very much for your comments and suggestions. I am not providing a point-by-point response, as I have incorporated all of them. Your review did help the paper. Thank you.

Reviewer 2 Report

[World] Manuscript ID: world-2508688

 Dear Author(s),

There are a lot of significant comments that I raised on the main manuscript, and these are other few minor comments raised below:

 First, I will ask here, is this a review? What type of review did you employ? Is it narrative, scoping, literature review etc?

 A lot of personal summation in the review, which makes the summation sometimes biased, judgemental etc

 The paper needs to be revised again following how review papers are structured in line with the objectives.

 I have also suggested papers for you to look at and use to elaborate your summation in your review.

 Review your literature mentioning countries you are referring to in your review – developed, developing and African countries.

 Lastly, the paper needs a professional editor to edit the entire manuscript.

All comments are made on the main manuscript; however, the authors must employ a professional editor to edit the entire work.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

 

The authors must employ a professional editor to edit the entire work. The quality of the English language is a bit poor

Author Response

Dear reviewer, thank you for your review. However, I disagree with much of what you propose, and I am as critical to your comments and suggestions as you are to my paper. Your criticism is unique when compared with the other two reviewers. I will be assertive and stand firm when firmly rejecting your idea of getting a professional editor to rewrite the whole thing, as the second author is native English-speaking and living in London and Oxford. I agree with you that economic factors in 'capitalism' tend to be pronatalist and should be mentioned. I did it. I am grateful for the literature you provided. Thank you for bringing them to my attention. I have used some of the articles and included some of your references.

Reviewer 3 Report

This is a very interesting review, however from the Malthusian point of view. After reading this text I had the feeling that it was more a speech for non-specialists rather than a rigorous scientific text. In any case, I have some point to comment on.

First, the term reproduction in Demography has (at least) two components. One is fertility and the other is mortality. 

Secondly, the demographic transition theory is largely ignored. All the demographic information written in the paper must be revised in the light of variability. 

Thirdly, the authors do not discuss the observed human variability in detail. As a result, they give "universal" solutions to the problem. Given the extreme diversity on cultural, economic and social grounds, is this possible?

 Authors actually downplay the role of the economy in local communities. Yes, I agree that empowering women will solve part of the problem, but how will this be possible if there is not balanced social and economic development in all regions of the planet? Is it the same as being a German woman and an Afghan woman? How will an Afghan woman change her way of thinking if she does not know what is happening on the entire planet? And she wants it, does her partner agree? Or the local religious leader?

And what about the wealth accumulation for some and the extreme poverty for others? 

Also, the talk about not scheduled pregnancies. But they forget to make a single reference to abortion! Why is that? And how accurate are the data concerning this matter? 

These are only some points of my criticism for this paper.  I could add much more, but in any case, I think that authors must consider this paper once again from the very beginning. 

Author Response

Dear reviewer, thank you very much for your interesting review. Speaking of the theory of demographic transition, it is forever just a theory, a model that operated in some countries but so much not universally applicable. For this reason, we have not discussed it. Also, if the demographic transition was included and discussed, it would weaken and dissolve the whole message of our paper. Also, I must reject your idea of considering writing this paper again from the very beginning because it would not be the paper we intended to write but 'some other paper'. But you are absolutely right that we should briefly mention abortion, which I did.

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Please, check my comments directly on the manuscript in purple colour in the pop-up reply.

Also, kindly send this manuscript for proper editing

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

This manuscript needs proper and in-depth editing

Author Response

Dear reviewer, I have revised the manuscript of our paper. I have made some changes you proposed (listing regions of the Global South, changing words, rewriting some passages), added some references (backing up the position we stand for, explaining who and why considers the population talk to be xenophobic and racist). However, I have left Norman Borlaug's part and the Conclusion intact. Both authors of this paper stand for this as it is.

Reviewer 3 Report

This is a revised version of the paper submitted to your journal. My general feeling is that it has been improved significantly. In their response authors state that the discussion of the different paces and timetables of the demographic transition should not be included in this paper because it will alter its nature. This is a controversial subject, but if authors think so, I cannot say something else.

Anyway, in my point of view, I could say that the problem is economic and social development and not up-to-down interventions. But this is my point of view.

Therefore, i thinj that the paper should be published as it is.

Author Response

Dear reviewer, thank you very much for your review and for aiming my focus towards the paces and timetables of the demographic transition. Thank you for that.