To Birth or Not to Birth; That is the Question

I’m told people think you are selfish if you don’t bring new life into this world. I suppose this is the general way of thinking, since most people do have children. However, many scientists are reporting that overpopulation is the main threat to our planet and that we urgently need to level out and reduce human numbers. They predict that there is no way that the forecasted population of nine billion by 2050 can meet its energy needs without unacceptable harm to the planet. Conservative environmental assessments found that humans are now exploiting about 20% more renewable resources than can be replaced each year. So perhaps there is another perspective as to whether or not it is selfish to have children?

When scientists are even wondering if we will have a planet left in the near future, it certainly seems we should consider whether it is appropriate to be reproducing at this time. According to National Geographic, some likely conditions if ‘climate change’ continues are: species loss and extinction, reduction in sea ice, diminishing glaciers, rising sea levels, loss of biodiversity, drought, heat waves, severe storms, reduced growing seasons, etc. If humans don’t do something about the numbers we are bringing to the planet, the planet could possibly free herself of the human pest.

I’ve never seen too many deer that we heartlessly “cull”, but I have experienced too many people! Hmmm… People need to look at the big picture and stay informed of the environmental devastation, slavery, war, rampant violence and depression that plagues are planet and admit that this might possibly not be the best place to bring a child? When there are many starving, unloved children already here that need to be cared for, perhaps we should consider not bringing another child to a planet with over 6.5 billion people, just so they can be from your genes. People are so egotistical that they want to make “little molds of themselves”. But the fact remains that your offspring come through you and often turn out to be quite different than parental hopes for them.

Some people have many children in order to add to the members of their religion or bring in new members to their way of thinking. We have to be sure our motives are pure when considering giving birth. I firmly don’t believe everyone should have children; it is simply not for everyone, as witnessed by the amount of inadequate parenting going on. I want to let people know that they don't have to have children. There is a choice to be child-free. Until someone told me this (30 years ago), I never even stopped to think that there was an alternative. Everyone had kids where I grew up; it was just something you did. I am grateful to the woman who told me you don’t have to have children if it is not your calling in life. I wanted to give my life’s energy to educating others about veganism and the evolution of human consciousness (by evolving my own). I believe all who are here should help get us out of the mess we find ourselves in, rather than contributing even more to the demise of our planet. The last thing Earth needs is more natural resource-guzzling inhabitants.

Why bring a child to a planet that may die? Resources are dwindling, deforestation is out of hand, pollution is widespread, highways are congested yet global population grows steadily! Whether it is ignorance or lack of access to birth control, or welfare enabling children that are otherwise unaffordable, or religion condemning condom usage and abortions, or ego-maniacal behavior, we are facilitating the destruction of the planet and many of us need to STOP reproducing.