Many people who took and are taking part in morally wrong actions could and can use this excuse as a justification. From one consumer who can’t stop all the waste and litter, to one driver of a private car who can’t stop all the pollution, through one soldier who can’t stop all the wars, to one consumer of prostitution who won’t stop all the exploitation in the entire sex industry, and of course, probably the most popular use of this excuse, one meat eater who cannot stop all the exploitation of non-human animals.
The idea is not to compare the moral injustice inherent in reproduction to the moral injustice inherent in the other examples, but to compare the injustice inherent in their excuses. And at least on a principled level, this excuse does not clear anyone who takes part in immoral activity.
History is full of immoral acts that were fostered, among other things, by people who showed no opposition to the injustice they took part in, claiming that their personal opposition wouldn’t change a thing, because everyone else is doing it.
‘Everybody does it’ is not, never was, and never will be, a moral justification. Decisions and actions are moral or not regardless of how popular or normative they are.
Beyond the fact that two wrongs don’t make a right, it certainly does have an effect, especially in the case of reproduction because a decision not to reproduce necessarily prevents at least one person from being harmed and from harming others. That is, even just one person who does not create just one other person, prevents harm to the person who will not be created and to everyone that this person would have harmed if he had been created.
Not creating someone is one less person who is a victim of all the hazards this world has to offer and one less person who is a victimizer of all the hazards humanity has to offer to others, humans and other species.
Every decision has an impact. No one lives in a vacuum. The choice not to reproduce permeates socially and makes more people think about the matter. Precisely because reproduction is so socially accepted and encouraged, resistance provokes discourse and thinking outside the accepted norms. Resistance may also encourage people who are under social pressure to reproduce even though it is not in accordance with their will, and the very presence of the option not to reproduce will encourage and strengthen them to do the morally right thing. The pressure to procreate is great and it works both on the positive level (come on make babies already!) and on the negative level (why aren’t you having children? What’s wrong with you?). Resistance, even if relatively passive, meaning mainly in the form of non-cooperation with the pro-natalist norms, is of great importance, especially for people who feel they are being pushed to do something they don’t really want. This point is especially important for women, who unfortunately experience this pressure in an infinitely greater way.
Don’t misunderstand, it shouldn’t be your main reason not to reproduce, but it should definitely be a consideration if you’re wondering what the impact of your private decision not to reproduce could be. This has a very big impact.
First, making a moral decision is always right, by definition.
Secondly, this decision prevents the creation of a person who is vulnerable her/himself and harmful towards others and this certainly has an effect. If a vulnerable and abusive person is not created, s/he will not be harmed and will not harm others. If s/he is created, s/he will inevitably be harmed and will inevitably harm others. Therefore this decision has an unequivocal impact.
And finally, this decision has an impact on others in the form of reducing social pressure to procreate. There are many people out there who have doubts about reproducing that need a push. A decision not to reproduce, even without being particularly vocal about it, is a push in the right direction.