Children, Energy and Choice

I am really angry over two things others may find unrelated: the anti-abortion folks ruling gestapo tactics against American women, including the women who are collaborators in that cruel invasion on womens rights, and the people in the West who can afford to choose to bear children and do.

I think neither position has moral high ground or legitimacy. I think both bring up issues about private vs public rights.

I think people in the west do not have the right to choose to bear children. All the media coverage about sustainability has focused on purchasing consumption but the ultimate consumption comes from childbearing.

I knew that in 1969. The reason why has been written about: too many of us consuming too much of the Earth’s resources and in the west, stealing those resources from others less fortunate. The gulf between those who consume and those who live in want just keeps getting bigger.

“A child born in the United States will create 13 times as much ecological damage over the course of his or her lifetime than a child born in Brazil,”

Family planning isn’t just a Western problem.

“… the fastest population rises are being recorded in Africa and Asia, which will have 15 of the 20 most populous nations by 2050. By that year, there will be more Nigerians than Americans. By 2100, it is projected that as many as one-third of all people – almost 4 billion – will be African.”

I get it that my frustration and anger may drown out my message and will likely anger many people in return on either side, who feel entitled to dominate other people’s bodies to either have or not have children. I apologize for that hurt but don’t feel remorse.

Here’s the thing. We just have too many people. “Some people believe that greater efficiencies in the use of resources mean we will use less of them. There is no evidence to support that”.

I do think people in the west, though our populations are declining are the “most guilty” ones. “With less than 5% of the world’s population, the U.S. consumes 16% of the world’s energy and accounts for 15% of world GDP.”

I have nothing against children- they had no say in the matter. Nor do I have an issue with parenting. But this is what I think: if people in the west want children they should adopt. That is the selfless, generous, logical response to the desire to parent. There is an over-supply of unwanted children everywhere and there will be many more with these idiotic anti-abortion laws.

I believe there is a powerful relationship between numbers of people and energy. I couldn’t agree more that the onus is on colonized and oppressed people. So the solution besides no more child-bearing in rich countries and populations is adopt.

I totally get the desire to have/bear ONE’S OWN children. It is the most essential biological imperative in the universe. I have felt that desire but I also made the deliberate decision not to take that path for the reasons above: There are too many of us. We are consuming more than our share.  It is a matter of honesty and judgement to me. I do NOT think it’s individual or personal because the impacts on the whole Earth community are too immense.

I get that my opinion is by definition offensive to those who consider it a private matter. I just strongly disagree with that assumption. And yes, I know I’ve stirred up a hornets nest. But there it is. It’s numbers: who can or can’t afford to do what because of impacts on others.

About the privacy argument and entitlement. I think it’s too late for either. In fact, for better or worse, I wonder what’s left that IS private and personal except bedroom decisions.

I just don’t think we have the option anymore to do as we please, no matter how strongly we feel, how hallowed the legitimatization or how powerful our biological imperatives may be.

So what’s art got to do with it? Art is the great social witness. My task as an artist is to feel my rage, bear witness and publish my observations: we cannot do this to our planet.