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[apocalypsos]

Conservatives Urge Closer Look at Marriage -- You know, on one hand, I like that the anti-gay-marriage might finally be noticing the high divorce rate that they usually seem to ignore.

On the other hand, if we don't address cohabitation and casual divorce and deliberate childlessness just pisses me right the fuck off. There are six billion people on the planet right now, and if we keep it up, it's not going to take us relatively long to overtake the planet's resources. Some of us could do with a little "deliberate childlessness", damn it. Jesus, has nobody explained overpopulation to these jerks? (And that was a rhetorical question, before anybody points out that they probably have and just chose to ignore it or something.) *growls*

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

notice how the "deliberate childnessness" refers always/only to those parts of society that "they" want to procreate. overpopulation by "undesirables".

[shetiger.livejournal.com]

deliberate childlessness

OMFG. Ok, I'm containing the rant because it's your journal and you don't really need my bile here, but can I say one thing?

I am sick to fucking death of people acting like there is something wrong with me and my husband because we have chosen not to have children. Reiterates: overpopulation!

*stepping away from the keyboard now*

[doqz.livejournal.com]

Actually the global birthrate is declining. Earth population is going to peak within 50-100 years and then spiral down in geometric proportion.

[norabombay.livejournal.com]

Deliberate Childlessness.

It's a good thing.

Because if people don't want to be parents, then for god's sake, they shouldn't have children.

It doesn't even matter about overpopulation. It's that every single child should be wanted and loved. Not an oops or mandatory obligation.

[elorie.livejournal.com]

ok, having encountered "childfree" movement people originally because they were trolling parenting boards, I don't have a very kind view of many of them...BUT...

I have to say, wtf? Who the hell thinks people having children they don't really want is a good idea? Oh, wait; I was momentarily expecting logic there. My bad.

Anyway, it just goes to prove my contention that the anti-gay-marriage people are really all about **controlling other people's sexuality, period** If you're thinking that because you're straight, it's not your problem, you're wrong.

Yay Nora!

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

Yes. Children should be wanted and loved.

If they are unwanted, and someone makes that choice, then that is good.

There are orphanages and foster homes full of unwanted children and oftne unloved children too.

And the Conservatives never consider that, either.

I'm unchilded [not childfree - that term has a connotation I don't like] by choice... to a degree. I'd love to have a child but I don't have the financial resources for it, nor do I want to raise a child by myself.

[shetiger.livejournal.com]

every single child should be wanted and loved.

Thank you. You are beautiful.

That is all.

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

I don't like the connotation of 'childfree' either because a lot of people in that movement [not all] are more 'child haters' or 'haters of anyone who chooses to procreate'.

I call myself unchilded.

And I figure we're just preachin' to the choir here.


But that's okay. At least we know we sound good to each other.

[miggy.livejournal.com]

At least my mom has accepted that the only grandkids she'll ever see will be four-legged and furry. Now that she's finally starting to respect what I've been saying for oh, the last ten or so years, she's looking at my interactions with Joe Random Child with new eyes and realizing that yes, I was right when I said I didn't like kids, wasn't comfortable around them, and didn't want one of my own.

Too bad seemingly everyone else won't get it through their thick heads that for plenty of women, looking at the mother part of the cycle earns a wrinkled nose and turned back, and they'd much rather skip merrily from maiden to crone. It's obviously a much better choice to force everyone into the parent role regardless of desire, because it's different when it's your own. That's why there's no child abuse, neglectful parenting, and resentment among any families, ever.

(Yes, I have vented before in childfree, why do you ask?)

[glitterdemon.livejournal.com]

Actually, being close to several Christian conservatives, I've heard some of them refer to overpopulation as a myth. Much in the same way anything else they don't like and therefore choose to ignore is a myth, such as evolution and global warming.

[florahart]

Interesting. Got a citation to show who learned that and how? Just curious.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'd love to have a child, but part of me would much rather adopt a child first. Not only does it mean I don't have to go through labor, but there are so many kids out there who need good homes because their parents couldn't (or didn't want to) keep them.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Yes, because there's an infinite amount of room on the planet. *eye roll* Stupid people piss me off.

norabombay is right, though. No one who doesn't want to have a baby should be forced to have one because all children should be wanted and loved.

[cyprinella]

At least my mom has accepted that the only grandkids she'll ever see will be four-legged and furry.

Having just spent 5 hours in the mall with my mother and watching her stop at every baby store and cooing, I envy you. My mother just recently joined the "When am I getting grandchildrenOMGWTF!?!" bandwagon and I am not looking forward to the next umpteen million years of explaining to her that look, my gerbils are children too!

[dawning-star.livejournal.com]

Because people who choose not to have children are obviously evil and ignoring God's Almighty Plan For Them(tm). Every person must reproduce regardless of whether or not that person could be a good parent, finances, and other resources.

Gah. It is precisely people like that who make me advocate birth control.

[doqz.livejournal.com]

Off hand - CIA Factbook, http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
I'll hunt down a couple of others, if you need them. If you follow the cycle of TFR (total fertility rates) the pattern emerging is that the average has been falling sharply for a while now. The Global average is 2.6 at the moment which is only .5 of a point over the replacement level. And it's _falling_

Basically people are having less children, especially in the countries of the so-called Thrird World. Tunisia's TFr used to be about 7, only 30 years ago, it less than 2 - below replacement level and is still declining at the moment. Algeria went from 2.4 to 2 in the last _three_ years.

Even countries that have a growing population are facing decline in the rate of that growth. Except for the US for some reason. I am sure there other countires I just don't know them off hand and there are a very limited number of them.

Europe as a whole is aging with astonishing rapidity and both Japan and Russia are about one, maybe two generations from facing a complete demographic collapse.

And these are long term trends, they won't change quickly even if changes start tomorrow. Which they won't. History tends to indicate that state initiatives to increase populations have a rarer success rate than making socialism workable.

And this doesn't take into account things like Aids and endemic wars of places like central Africa.

The population will continue to rise for a while, probably hitting 7+ billion by 2050 or so and then it will begin to decline at a stupid rate.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

My mom doesn't want grandkids (OMG, don't make me a grandma!!!), but I heard through her during the summer that my dad is dying for grandkids.

I told her at the time that if she could get me an Olympic swimmer, I'd work on it. ;)

[cyprinella]

I think it depends on where you're talkign about. Europe has had a negative birth rate for the last few decades, but the US has been pretty steady and nations like China and India are exploding. Or so last I heard on the subject. I too would love to see the stats.

[cyprinella]

During the whole should I/shouldn't I decision on hormonal birth control, my mother actually told me, and I quote, "I wouldn't mind at all if you got knocked up."

*shudder*

Of course, for Olympic swimmers, that could be an enticement....:)

[cyprinella]

Ah, ignore my last comment. :)

[cyprinella]

Bad phrasing - Olympic swimmers would be an enticement, not the other way around.

[akacat]

I told her at the time that if she could get me an Olympic swimmer, I'd work on it.

I think that's an excellent compromise.

[doqz.livejournal.com]

I cited a couple, above. Basically as I said even the countries with 'exploding' populations are either exploding a lot slower than they used to or in fact have decreasing population growth.

Chinese birthrates have began falling in th 1980's and haven't slowed down since. I believe their current tfr right now is 1.7 or so and their population growth is .06 and both of these are decreasing. Rapidly.

India's TFR fell from 3.6 in to 2.8, just in the last generation. They started falling earlier, but i don't have numbers handy.

[doqz.livejournal.com]

Too late:)

[cyprinella]

Hee! No worries.