The morality of having large families

[Pip22]

Please consider the wider implications of having more than 2 children.
We are already living way beyond the means of this very finite planet. If there are 1 million more humans every 5 days how on earth will we ever feed them, and slow climate change?
Having big families is simply self-indulgent.
Watch David Attenborough's Horizon from 9/12/2009 via Youtube or visit the website of The Optimum Population Trust for a very detailed discussion of the facts.

you're brave.

Fuck off now deary

I think it's a fair point to make.

She's only saying "please consider" not "you must not do this!".

Oh wow. I bet nobody ever thought of that before. How kind of you to point that out.

Naetha, she says it's 'simply self-indulgent'. Big value judgement going on there.
If she was asking for a debate that would be one thing, but she'd clearly here to educate the rednecks.

Get real, OP.

Too late for me, but at least my children can pay your pension.

OP is after a fight.

Piss off, in a word.

Oh and do so more research into the varying population levels of different countries and continents too, and try to understand what will happen if Europe has a birthrate below replacement level.

Oh this has given me a good giggle..

Well, my children are;

1. uber intelligent
2. lovely people
3. concerned about others

as such it is my DUTY to have more than 2 so that they can help save the earth when they are adults.

And also, the world population is NOT set to rise - within 30 years the average number of children per family worldwide will fall below the magic 2.1 number, which is needed to maintain population, and so population will fall.

How many kids have you got Pip22?

MN really is a loon magnet at the moment

Get a life pip22 preferably on another planet!

Bet all my kids are more beautiful and intelligent than yours and one of them could discover the cure for cancer

I'm very happy with my 5 thanks. Toodle pip!

I think it is a fair point of Pip to point out - and while I realise that topics can get controversal on discussion forums, there is nothing wrong with a good old debate. The world is overpopulated and as a social studies teacher this combined with climate change is an issue that needs attention. I am pregnant with my first and I have had moments of feeling guilty for not adopting or fostering one of the billions of children out there who need a home.

Pip22 just joined today and is going through the forums looking for opportunities to plug her angle. Feel free to ignore her. Unless she does it on TTC...

Any particular reason why it isn't our moral duty to stop at one?

Or does 2 happen to be the number of the OPs offspring?

nah,i wont consider that thanks. its not MY moral duty....

Whoops...I really wish I'd read your post before I insensitively popped out more than the Earth could handle. It probably would have made me stop dead in my tracks; or rather DH would have stopped his little swimmers mid plunge I dare say. Tuttut, shame on me. I obviously don't give a witches tit about the planet..

I have 4 children.

Iwasawareof this debate but alsoaware that ds2 may not cop-ewith 2 disabled siblings alone so wewanted a family where he was not left to shoulder that.

Life is complex and whilst there is certainly foodfor thought with the environmentalthing,there are also very many other aspects for RL situations.

SElf indulgent? Are you sure? nah,farmore to it than that.

you find this notion in many poples posts, and elsewhere on the internet - that us people with 2+ kids (which i shall be come august ATBW)

i think it is rubbish but not trolling.

there is a formal 'stop at 2' campaign - i think it needs answering.

first, for me to have three kids in my house is better value energy per person than me having one child (the house takes the same to heat and light regardless of numbers) - i think in general, if you want to gt snotty about unnecessary over-consumption, look at consumption per person (which is increasing exponentially almost) rather than the numebr of people...

second, as others point out, every nation, as it gets richer, experiences a fall in birth rate - the uk is at 1.8 which is not sufficient to repace the adult population -

third - it is nice to have a large family, and as a child, to be a part of one. I loved it. I am not about to make important personal decisions that have a massive impact on my life due to the tiny, negligible planetary impact it may or may not have.

oh lovely it's folded arms on doorsteps and piss off again

mn is so good at that

completely disagree with you OP: people with large families make a lot of sacrifices and their children will keep the country running when we are all 104