A biological pull, no matter how powerful, is not an imperative. In fact, while there is surely the possibility that I will one day regret not having had a child, there is an equal possibility that I would regret having had one—a possibility so terrifying that our failure to warn young people of its existence (just Google “I regret having children,” and be prepared for a ride) seems grossly negligent.
Author: Kirsten Stade
Kirsten Stade is a conservation biologist who has fought the destructive influences of extractive industries on public lands across the western United States. She is communications manager at Population Balance, a nonprofit organization challenging the pervasive pronatalism that compromises our reproductive autonomy and imperils the natural world. Follow at @solve_overpop.