Political Physics: To Birth or Not to Birth – Vasectomies and the Biological Imperative
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a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland
- Photo by Sarah Macmillan
Recently I was corresponding with an old friend that I had not talked to in years and I was asking whether or not he had any children. He replied that he did indeed have children, but that he felt “guilty for bringing them in to this fucked up world.”
Then today I was at five-hour interview session with a group of colleagues and two of us were discussing our children. A third colleague mumbled under his breath something about not understanding how anyone could have children “these days.”
As a relatively new mom, I cannot seem to turn off the loud echoing of these two statements over and over in my brain. Nor can I escape a sense of guilt as I ponder whether or not I made a responsible choice when my husband and I proactively decided to have a baby a little over two years ago (and as we are in the process of trying to have another child right now).
We are in the midst of an economic downturn that economists say may rival or even surpass the Great Depression. Our country is fighting two wars. The US “threat level” is yellow or elevated, meaning we are at “significant risk of terrorist attack.” And a few weeks ago North Korea stopped dangerously short of formally declaring war on the United States.
And I haven’t even mentioned wars outside of out boundaries, increases in HIV/AIDS rates, famine, violence and other issues across the globe. According to Micronutra.Com “these are tough times. The words war, recession, terrorism, and downturn are popping up way too often in conversation, and the negativity is beginning to show. With the increase of job loss and home foreclosure, we’ve seen a decrease of vacations, parties, and long-term security.”
Am I an irresponsible person for bringing a child into this mess?
Should I have curbed my biological imperative?
And if I am [irresponsible and curbing to my biological imperative], am I alone?
During the Great Depression, birth rates plummeted to 2.1 million. In the 1970s they were down to 1.7 and successive recessions have also seen smaller decreases in the birth rates. And the Lowell Sun recently reported, “In a tough economy, vasectomies are on the rise. Lahey Clinic has seen a 30 percent increase in the number of men seeking vasectomies so far in 2009, compared to the same period last year.” Micronutra.Com concurs noting, “Although the numbers are not yet [final], people who keep tabs on fertility, pregnancy, and child rearing are noticing a few changes in trend. Men seem to be scheduling more vasectomies, and canceling their vasectomy reversals. [And] adoption organizations see fewer faces at their information sessions.” According to the New York Times “recent anecdotal data, if they hold, would have a historical parallel in the Great Depression, when the birth rate fell sharply.”
Yet in 2007 there were 4,317,000 births in the United States, which just beats the record year of 1957 during the post-war baby boom.
So I am not alone in bringing children into this world. But the question still remains about whether it is irresponsible?
Yes, the world is in chaos (and I do not say that lightly). I keep myself up at night worrying about the challenges that my son will face or the even more terrifying question of whether or not he will have the opportunity to face those challenges.
I believe that my choice to proactively plan to get pregnant was not irresponsible. If you’ve seen Idiocracy you may think it would have been irresponsible for me not to.
I assessed my personal circumstances, scanned the world around me, stressed, deliberated and stressed some more and then made a decision (not necessarily in that order and it took a significant amount of time). I took what I felt were the necessary precautions (as much as I could) and attempted to prepare. And now my son is here and there is no looking back for me.
Between 1946 and 1964, there were 76 million babies born in the US. The baby boom occurred even though the United States was battling War World II and the Korean War and was consumed with building bombing shelters in the event of a nuclear attack and fears about the “Red Scare” and communism abounded.
And even though North Korea might be planning right now to nuke us, I have to believe that I made the right choice for my husband, my son and me.
Of course, that could just be the biological imperative talking.
What about you? Do you think having a child today is irresponsible given the myriad of issues we are facing as a nation and a world?
Interesting, b/c I think about it in terms of how can awesome people NOT breed. One of the few ways to really help to fix the world is to donate children who grow up to be reasonable, empathetic, and awesome adults.
Also, I don't think the world is any worse than it's been in past decades. I know my unborn child will have a much easier time of it than I did growing up: more opportunities, less discrimination, more resources. Keep in mind, we were worried about getting bombed in the 50s, too. Bringing kids into this big bad world is an ageless dilemma, but the odds are on our side. Most of our kids will probably be fine and won't get hurt or bombed. I'm less worried about the state of the world and more worried about being a good mom, myself.
Also, I think we should wait for these stats to fully bear out. M/b it's just b/c I'm pregnant, but I really don't think people are having less kids these days, in fact there seems to be some kind of boom on. Also, I think the vasectomies are about men just being more fiscally responsible as opposed to scared of having children in this economy. And that might be a good thing.
Interesting, b/c I think about it in terms of how can awesome people NOT breed. One of the few ways to really help to fix the world is to donate children who grow up to be reasonable, empathetic, and awesome adults.
Also, I don't think the world is any worse than it's been in past decades. I know my unborn child will have a much easier time of it than I did growing up: more opportunities, less discrimination, more resources. Keep in mind, we were worried about getting bombed in the 50s, too. Bringing kids into this big bad world is an ageless dilemma, but the odds are on our side. Most of our kids will probably be fine and won't get hurt or bombed. I'm less worried about the state of the world and more worried about being a good mom, myself.
Also, I think we should wait for these stats to fully bear out. M/b it's just b/c I'm pregnant, but I really don't think people are having less kids these days, in fact there seems to be some kind of boom on. Also, I think the vasectomies are about men just being more fiscally responsible as opposed to scared of having children in this economy. And that might be a good thing.
As a woman who is choosing not to procreate, those types of thoughts have about 2% bearing on my decision. They are so negative and just stinkin' thinkin'. I totally agree with Ernessa, awesome people should bring more awesome babies into the world!
Sure there is a lot of madness with this whole global warming dealie, wars, repressions, etc… but hey, we don't know what the world is going to be like in the future, at all. My folks started having kids during the cold war and the Bay of Pigs stuff. The sky was falling then too.
For all we know your child could be the genius we need to fix the problems.
As a woman who is choosing not to procreate, those types of thoughts have about 2% bearing on my decision. They are so negative and just stinkin' thinkin'. I totally agree with Ernessa, awesome people should bring more awesome babies into the world!
Sure there is a lot of madness with this whole global warming dealie, wars, repressions, etc… but hey, we don't know what the world is going to be like in the future, at all. My folks started having kids during the cold war and the Bay of Pigs stuff. The sky was falling then too.
For all we know your child could be the genius we need to fix the problems.
I think it's part of the human condition to think about the world as a f-ed up place. There has always been war and disease and most likely there always will be. All we can do is try to give our children good values and a good education then hope for the best.
I think it's part of the human condition to think about the world as a f-ed up place. There has always been war and disease and most likely there always will be. All we can do is try to give our children good values and a good education then hope for the best.
Ernessa, I think your point about awesome people having a responsibility to procreate is an interesting one. I think it speaks to that whole Idiocracy concept (e.g., call it awesome or smart or whatever) and although I think the notion of smart versus dumb is oversimplified in the movie there is something very real about the premise behind the need for…..let's call if balance in breeding.
I agree with all three of you that the world is not any worse for the wear than it was in the late 40's, 50's and early 60's when the baby boom was in full force. As I mentioned, 76 million babies were born between 1946 and 1964. But I do believe that the numbers will show a decline in the birth rates from 2007 through 2009 and potentially into 2010, because people are overwrought with images of joblessness, homelessness, war, terrorist attacks, etc.
Ernessa, I think your point about awesome people having a responsibility to procreate is an interesting one. I think it speaks to that whole Idiocracy concept (e.g., call it awesome or smart or whatever) and although I think the notion of smart versus dumb is oversimplified in the movie there is something very real about the premise behind the need for…..let's call it balance in breeding.
I agree with all three of you that the world is not any worse for the wear than it was in the late 40's, 50's and early 60's when the baby boom was in full force. As I mentioned, 76 million babies were born between 1946 and 1964. But I do believe that the numbers will show a decline in the birth rates from 2007 through 2009 and potentially into 2010, because people are overwrought with images of joblessness, homelessness, war, terrorist attacks, etc.
Ernessa, I think your point about awesome people having a responsibility to procreate is an interesting one. I think it speaks to that whole Idiocracy concept (e.g., call it awesome or smart or whatever) and although I think the notion of smart versus dumb is oversimplified in the movie there is something very real about the premise behind the need for…..let's call if balance in breeding.
I agree with all three of you that the world is not any worse for the wear than it was in the late 40's, 50's and early 60's when the baby boom was in full force. As I mentioned, 76 million babies were born between 1946 and 1964. But I do believe that the numbers will show a decline in the birth rates from 2007 through 2009 and potentially into 2010, because people are overwrought with images of joblessness, homelessness, war, terrorist attacks, etc.
Ernessa, I think your point about awesome people having a responsibility to procreate is an interesting one. I think it speaks to that whole Idiocracy concept (e.g., call it awesome or smart or whatever) and although I think the notion of smart versus dumb is oversimplified in the movie there is something very real about the premise behind the need for…..let's call it balance in breeding.
I agree with all three of you that the world is not any worse for the wear than it was in the late 40's, 50's and early 60's when the baby boom was in full force. As I mentioned, 76 million babies were born between 1946 and 1964. But I do believe that the numbers will show a decline in the birth rates from 2007 through 2009 and potentially into 2010, because people are overwrought with images of joblessness, homelessness, war, terrorist attacks, etc.
I started trying to have a child before the wars, before the economic downturn, etc. It just took 7 years to get pregnant and make it stick. But, unless the global situation very directly affected my daily life, I would never have let that dictate my procreation decisions.
I think that many people who already have children are deciding not to have more right now for economic reasons, and that some people are choosing to wait. However, many people, including but not limited to the grossly irresponsible, pay no attention to the global economic situation nor their own and go right ahead. And some of us just choose to live our lives.
Unlike previous recessions and The Depression, economics have some stiff competition in the form of obsession with celebrity babies, children as accessories, and The Discovery Channel family of pro-huge-family networks.
I started trying to have a child before the wars, before the economic downturn, etc. It just took 7 years to get pregnant and make it stick. But, unless the global situation very directly affected my daily life, I would never have let that dictate my procreation decisions.
I think that many people who already have children are deciding not to have more right now for economic reasons, and that some people are choosing to wait. However, many people, including but not limited to the grossly irresponsible, pay no attention to the global economic situation nor their own and go right ahead. And some of us just choose to live our lives.
Unlike previous recessions and The Depression, economics have some stiff competition in the form of obsession with celebrity babies, children as accessories, and The Discovery Channel family of pro-huge-family networks.
I agree with the other posters comments. People almost always feel that their time is worse than previous times, and there is always war, disease and depravity. But having children is the greatest demonstration of hope and faith that things will get better. When we stop having children because of the problems that we face, we lose all hope for a better tomorrow.
I agree with the other posters comments. People almost always feel that their time is worse than previous times, and there is always war, disease and depravity. But having children is the greatest demonstration of hope and faith that things will get better. When we stop having children because of the problems that we face, we lose all hope for a better tomorrow.
it's better than bringing her into WW2/holocaust, WW1, the civil war, revolutionary war, the french-indian war, the inquisition, the crusades, etc…yea, times are tough and full of shit, but there have been worse…
it's better than bringing her into WW2/holocaust, WW1, the civil war, revolutionary war, the french-indian war, the inquisition, the crusades, etc…yea, times are tough and full of shit, but there have been worse…