BINDI IRWIN is turning out to be as daring and bold as her “Crocodile Hunter” dad – the 15-year-old spark plug caused a big stir Down Under by speaking out about giving contraceptives to girls as young as 11.
The spirited daughter of the late Steve Irwin, who brought worldwide fame to his Australia Zoo, is now turning the spotlight on her own crusade – family planning to curb overpopulation on the planet.
Alarmed that young women in Third World countries are having more babies than they can feed, Bindi believes the answer could be wider use of contraceptives, even among preteens.
“Girls as young as me or even younger are having kids and that doesn’t seem right to me,” the passionate teen told an interviewer. “There’s such a thing as seven-year implants, so if you had a girl that was 11 years old and gave her the seven-year implant, she wouldn’t be able to have kids until she was 18.
“Family planning is so important and I feel bad for those who don’t have access to it.”
Bindi’s famous dad, who tragically died in a freak accident seven years ago when a stingray barb pierced his heart while he was snorkeling, left her with a love of conservation and a tremendous drive to accomplish her goals.
“He was my living, breathing superhero,” she says.
Bindi is already so busy advocating for her causes and traveling with her mom Terri that she has no time for boyfriends.
“I’m sure that will come soon enough,” she says. “But at the moment I have friends that are girls and friends that are boys, so why make things complicated?”
