GEN1527 If and when conditions warrant worldwide action and other nations are complying in helping to reduce population, then there is a Jewish precedent for minimizing population growth.  The Talmud Taanit 11a states that a person should not have sexual relations (and children) in time of a famine, when food is unavailable.   This concept is derived from the placement of the verse in the Torah describing the birth of Joseph’s sons during the years of plenty, just prior to the famine in Egypt, when Joseph was aware that the years of famine were imminent [this verse].   Maimonides codifies this concept Laws of Fasting 3:8 by stating that a Jewish couple should not have children during a famine, but only if they have previously fulfilled the mitzvah of bearing the minimum of two children.   Therefore, by having only two children, the population would not increase, as the parents would be replenishing their own numbers, but not adding to the worldwide population.   AMEMEI 312