Certain People Choosing Not to Have Children

I know a couple who are probably in their mid 40s. They both work in the public service here in Queensland. When they got married, they made it very clear to each other, and everybody else, that they’re not planning to have children. They’re reasoning is very clear. They don’t want to bring children into a world that is on the verge of cataclysmic climate change. That’s they’re main reason. They’re secondary reason is that they “enjoy their free time” and don’t want to give that up to look after children.

Throughout human history, there have been hundreds of major disasters and calamities. Think World War II. If people just gave up and decided that they weren’t going to have children, then human civilisation would have ended, and we never would have saw the modern world.

The second couple I know, also in their mid-40s, the guy is a university lecturer, while his wife (well, I presume it’s his wife), is a university administrator. At the very least, they’re in a de facto relationship. You know, they’re the type that always say “my partner” instead of “my wife” or “husband”. I’ve known them for over a decade as we work at the same university. They made it very clear a long time ago that they never intend on having children stating that “The world is already overpopulated. We choose not to have children to help future generations and the planet.” It sounds almost nonsensical, “We choose not to have children to help future generations.” Hate to tell, if you don’t have children, they’re won’t be any future generations. You’re literally breeding yourself out of existence.

Well, while these well-to-do, Western academics and intellectuals are not having children, the rest of the world moves on. Africa has one of the highest fertility rates in the world with countries such as Chad having an average of six or more children per woman. Central Asian countries such as Afghanistan continue to average more than four children per mother. It’s largely people in Western and East Asian countries that are choosing to have so few children now.

I have some interaction with the refugee community in my neck of the woods, and by and large, they have large families despite them having much less money than these people choosing to not have children. Paradoxically, these rich university professors who have plenty of resources are forgoing children.

But the funny thing is, these largely Western, socially progressive academics often vote for political parties that are proponents of large scale immigration, not to mention proponents of certain medical procedures that make it easier to not have children, a procedure starting with ‘A’ that I’m not allowed to talk about openly on this platform for some reason. While they choose not to have children, the Australian Government continues to import hundreds of thousands of new people every year. It’s almost laughable when you think about it. When you choose not to have children, that just encourages the Government to increase immigration. They don’t care about your concerns, and to be fair, you voted them in.

Statistically, according to the ABS Household and families: Census from 2021, Couples with no children make up 38.8% of all families, which is quite a large number. More and more people are choosing not to have children. When I was a kid, there were couples without children, but it was almost always due to their inability to have children, not an intentional choice.

But even if these people’s concerns are completely valid — the world is on the verge of catastrophic environmental collapse — well wouldn’t it make sense to have children, pass on your genes, teach them your knowledge and values, so that they can grow up to be the next climate scientists, or whatever. But instead you take the easy way out and choose to end your lineage. Thousands of generations came before you. If any of those ancestors chose not to have children, you wouldn’t be in existence. By purposely choosing not to have children, you’re intentionally and permanently ending your genealogical line. It’s funny, only humans intentionally do this. I don’t know any other species that try to wipe themselves out as much as we do.

So what can we say about these childless parents, at least the ones I know? Well, they want to save the planet by forgoing children. But it makes no sense. The population still increases thanks to other countries pumping out children, not to mention the Australian Government’s obsession with immigration. Thanks to massive population inflows, their childless existence isn’t going to make a lick of difference to the environment. The only thing these couples are actually achieving, as I mentioned before, they are breeding themselves out of existence. And perhaps some of you think that is a good thing.

MUSIC
Allégro by Emmit Fenn