Make Love not Babies – Antinatalism outreach in Valentine’s Day
The day after the outreach event that took place in honor of Valentine’s Day, during which we suggested that people should make love not children, the wonderful Lia who was part of the event, wrote the following:
Since we always hear more or less the same arguments, I’ve cleared things up a bit.
So here are some false assumptions about antinatalism:
1. All antinatalists suffer from mental illness and that is why they adopt such a negative worldview
Mental health problems do not contradict antinatalism, they strengthen it. As someone who suffers from such problems, I can say this – I am an example of the kind of things that can happen the moment you create life and I would definitely prefer that all of this were spared from me.
Of course, not all antinatalists suffer from mental health problems. You can be fine and still decide not to force life or gamble on anyone’s life. Just as you can suffer from mental health problems and still choose to produce people who will be at risk of reaching the same state.
2. Antinatalists are people with a negative attitude who think that life is only suffering
Life involves suffering. Everyone suffers and everyone causes suffering, to one degree or another.
It can be said that in life there are also opportunities for positive things but no one loses anything as long as it does not exist.
It makes sense to try and deal with suffering, and not cause it to others unnecessarily, but there is no logic in creating new people with the thought that they are going to cope with suffering well, and be good people, there is no way of knowing that in advance. This is a huge gamble that I would not want to take on myself. Furthermore, there are a lot of fundamental problems that are not going to be solved, no matter how hard we try. Life is like a snowball that we cannot know where it will roll once we create life.
Talking about negative things does not necessarily make us negative people, it is simply reality. In my opinion, a negative attitude is to ignore reality and create more people into the circle of suffering.
In the context of most animals, of course, life is nothing but suffering and humans are the cause of it.
3. Antinatalists necessarily hate humans
The extent of the destruction that humans cause can make it difficult to feel a special love for humanity. However, this is not a hate movement and an important part of the movement is emphasizing the importance of helping those who already exist.
A large number of parents choose to reproduce thinking that it is a good idea and they don’t do that with bad intentions, and those who have already been born – the deed is done and there is no going back. We do not intend to hate them personally, but to influence where possible. We explain to those who can that the expectations that parents have are often not in line with reality and in practice they inevitably cause more victims and victimizers.
4. Antinatalism encourages suicide
There is a difference between dying and not being born in the first place.
We are in favor of free access to euthanasia for those who need it, but we do not encourage suicide. The suggestions to commit suicide come precisely from the same people who are supposedly very pro-life.
5. Antinatalists will disappear from the world and the idea will die with them
Ideas are passed on through education and we are not copies of our parents, most of whom are natalists.
Antinatalism was long before us and will probably be after us, assuming the world will exist by then.
6. Antinatalists are people who necessarily do not want children
People who do not want children for any reason are called child-free. People who choose not to reproduce for moral reasons are called antinatalists. I am both, but you can only be one of the two. You can be child-free without a fundamental objection to having children, and you can be an antinatalist who wants children – in which case they may choose to adopt and thus help those who already exist and need help, or engage in a field related to children. There are also antinatalists who chose to produce children and came to the antinatalist conclusion in retrospect.
7. Antinatalism is eugenics
Eugenics is a natalist approach that determines who deserves to be born and who does not based on heredity. In antinatalism there is no selection, the approach is against procreation in a conclusive manner regardless of who the person is and what the circumstances of their life are.
8. There is no point in talking about antinatalism because in any case it is impossible to change the whole world
Antinatalism does not aim to change the whole world because it is clearly impossible. The overwhelming majority of humans will continue to reproduce under any circumstances. But as with veganism, so with antinatalism, every human being who makes a moral decision is one less human being who causes harm. Another importance of the movement is that it gives power to people who identify with its ideas but feel that they cannot be different. Antinatalism shows them that they are not alone and that it is possible otherwise because procreation is definitely not a default.
The signs say:
Make love, not babies
You don’t need a mini-me
Have the time of you life, don’t make a new life
No one agreed to be created
Gemini was right