Many of us feel perfectly whole without children — our lives are full and busy enough. The fertility rate in the United States has hit a 30-year low, falling to 60.3 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age. For those of us concerned about overpopulation, this may not seem like overly alarming news. Unfortunately, a […]
The reasons to not have a child are as diverse as the reasons to have one. Sabine Heinlein, in an April 2015 Longreads essay, explained with sharp articulation and sublime eloquence why she chose not to have children. She told the stories similar women have probably heard: Not wanting to be a mother is just […]
Male birth control is a long overdue part of gender equality. Last summer, high school junior William Trinh landed a coveted internship funded by the National Institutes of Health. He showed up at the University of Washington expecting to spend a couple of months peering into a microscope, but that wasn’t the kind of help […]
Saying “pregnancy is disgusting” or “breeders are contributing to overpopulation” is just as bad as the concern trolls who say childfree folks are “selfish.” This morning on Facebook, I saw this piece, “For Young Women, Not Having Children Has Become the Rational Decision,” from Mic, which was published back in April. And then I read the […]
Some of us choose not to have children—and for good reason. It’s been about 10 years since anyone asked me, “Why don’t you have kids?” “Just lucky, I guess,” was my response then (it was a kid who asked me), and my friends and colleagues just know it’s a non-issue, like you wouldn’t ask Woody Allen […]
