A recent article from June 26th reports that 20% of women in the US are child-free by choice:
Which suggests that it's about time the other 80% started to get their act together.
Thanks Homer, that is interesting news. Being childfree is the most environmentally friendly choice.
Just how much education does one have to have, Elena, to understand that egg+sperm = baby?
As far as I remember, we learned this "formula" at the end of 6th grade, at Zoology classes, when we studied the topic "reproduction in mammals". Later, at grade 8th we learn about humans.
I think it's not about knowing the formula only; maybe it's time to learn at school about how to prevent egg from crushing into sperm 
And "abstinence only" program is not effective.
http://www.care2.com/news/member/320721052/3461826
The mentioned above article says that "child is a miracle of life" and "life is not complete without child" . Our common sense should beat the stupidity! I'd be glad to see your comments there. Thanks in advance!
http://www.care2.com/causes/why-arent-people-adopting.html
This post was modified from its original form on 19 Nov, 13:47
From The Guardian newspaper 16.02.2013. There is a regular column entitled 'What I'm Really Thinking'. On this day there was a column by 'The Child-Free Friend'.
We've been close friends for a long time and you know that I have chosen to remain child free not because I despise children; they just hold no interest for me. I don't feel there is a place for them in my life, something we've talked about before.
I wouldn't want to hurt you by explaining that my feelings apply to your child as well. I don't dislike your daughter – like most well-behaved children, she can be charming. But to me she is a stranger whose language I cannot speak.
I care about you and your life, and I'm delighted you're so happy being a mum, but there's something I am never allowed to say: I find your child tedious. It's not personal; that's how I feel about children in general.
I am at a loss for a response when you tell me I'm lucky to have time to go to the gym, to be able to take spontaneous weekends away, to have two spare bedrooms. I want to remind you that you gave all that up for parenthood and only two minutes ago you told me that you've never been happier. I'm not lucky; we both had choices, we just want different things from life.
The hardest thing about it, though, is the subtext – what I know you're really thinking but will never say. I heard it last week when, as I showed you the gym in my new house, you looked around and said, "Oh well, you can turn it into a playroom if you change your mind." You think my life choice is less sincere, less enduring, less fulfilling than yours – and that's what I really resent.
"... she is a stranger whose language I cannot speak".- exactly!
My thoughts! Also- she operates with the concepts and terms that I am not familiar with, she uses logic that I can't get (or maybe, there is no logic in her thoughts and actions) and she is talking about persons that I have no idea about because I'm not watching programs about Barbie and her other imaginary friends.... Moreover- I have no desire to look at this world through her mind...
Hi Elena, Robert, Andrew,
I'm baaack! Jeeze been gone a long time from here, couldn't log in as I forgot my password and the recovery password kept going to my old password recovery account at knuncle@gmail.com which I couldn't access for the same reason. Doofus, old. Oh well had a friend who stayed at our place because we're registered at "Warmshowers.org" where we host visiting cycle tourists (Randenouers in the UK) who was a computer geek. Anyway back to the topic:
I have a friend here that wanted us to go see a live concert by Pierre Bensusan in Charlotte. He wanted to bring his step daughter, a 14 year old. We like her, she a great kid, BUT SHE'S A KID. No amount of explaining was going to help. They live in a different universe, it's not really a bad universe it's just not OUR universe. We don't enjoy having to explain everything we're talking about to a kid. If we're going to go out to a concert we might enjoy having drinks or appetizers on the way back and don't want to be saddled with their offspring. I wish they would have the slightest inkling about that intrusion, but, sadly, they don't. Glad to see everyone, always enjoy your takes on things. Ken
Welcome back Ken
Well, at 14 technically she's a teen, not a child anymore, and there may hardly be much explaining to do in most areas )
Hi Robert,
True that, but you'd be surprised. However, all that aside, it's just annoying to have a non-adult in the equation. Further it puts constraints on staying out late on a school night, something we shouldn't have to be saddled with when considering where to have a late night snack and a drink after a concert.
There's that, though it also applies for adults working early.
No chance of just spelling it out for them?
Of course Robert. You know me, you know I'm not the silent type and I tried as gently as possible to explain, however to those with children its inexplicable to them that anyone wouldn't enjoy their child's company. Don't get me wrong the girl is very nice, well behaved but she's a kid, there's a difference. When we visit their home we don't have a problem we just don't want to be forced into a social relationship with their child.
Elena, and everyone else, I'd say it's so nice to hear your voices but we only type (ha). Anyway good to be back, missed everyone.
Population growth in the USA is around 0.97% - almost exactly twice that of the UK and higher than that of many African and other developing countries. Many countries in Europe now have negative growth rates - and no-one is complaining about there being not enough people. What America needs is far more child-free people to get it's population growth rate down to acceptable, developed country standards!
Oh, they're complaining all right, you keep seeing projects and calls for "serious discussions" about boosting natality with increasing frequency.
Goes to the topic of republicans here in the US being rabidly against "Family Planning", "Abortion", without making it illegal (so as to circumvent constitutional law) they put so many obstacles in the way of Abortion clinics they have to close. They are now, in some states, making a fertilized egg a "person" under the law, making it illegal to have an abortion in the case of rape on the flimsy grounds that it's destroying evidence. It's insane but likely that there are huge corporate interests at work here. Having been in sales you usually get a bonus for making more sales this year than last year, well what happens when you've sold all the customers that are prospects for your market? Make new ones, of course. It really is incredible that the obvious point that ALL of our problems in the world today are directly related to overpopulation: Pollution, food, water, air, housing, automobiles, wars. All are caused by too many people. Right now 87% of all fish sold as Red Snapper are not Red Snapper, incredible. Here in NC the state has issued warnings not to eat ANY fresh water fish due to mercury contamination caused by coal fired power plants, and people still don't get it.
People, in the sense of the majority, never got it and never will. The only way is to use tactics that are similar to or (seeing that they'd require a change, and a very quick one at that) much worse than those currently used by those in power in order to enforce a way that makes sense in the long term and for the world as a whole instead of this short-term finance-centric one that's been in use since... Well, pretty much since the advent of civilization.
We have had a debate recently about gay marriage. One very right wing Conservative politician was against it partly because gay marriage does not facilitate procreation. Therein lies one of the problems - and it's one of the things the majority seem incapable of getting. Couples (i.e. heterosexual couples) get married and feel obligated (maybe by societal pressure; maybe by tradition; whatever) to immediately start producing children. One small step forward would be to convince people that procreation is not a compulsory adjunct to marriage; that one can be very happily married without children. The conservative right, be it in Europe or America, still pushes the 1950s notion of a happy family as being a smiling mum and dad and two children. We need to get past that. This is the 21st century. Our lawmakers really do need to get with the programme.
It takes highly developed reasoning to override instincts, and that's rare. Otherwise, there may be some people who, due to hormonal imbalances or non-functioning or missing gonads, lack those instincts, but the vast majority just notice the basic breeding instinct and then, if they use reason at all, they only do so in order to justify it.
And when you add the constant growth economic model on top of that, you get this... Not that either of the two wouldn't be enough on its own.
Another pro-fetus with birth defects vs life of woman case
