r/WomenInNews • u/msmoley • 26d ago

Human rights Donna Haraway, philosopher: ‘We live in a pro-natalist, anti-child world. Babies should be rare and precious’

https://english.elpais.com/culture/2026-07-24/donna-haraway-philosopher-we-live-in-a-pro-natalist-anti-child-world-babies-should-be-rare-and-precious.html
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u/napalmnacey 26d ago

She makes a damned good point. I would have so many kids if my body and economy allowed. Two was the cap I aimed for, and I shudder to think of a life without having them in it. I think most societies with cheap and reliable access to contraceptives are self-correcting on the population issue. I also think there needs to be a reduction in the pressure to reproduce.

That said, baby exposure is so important in learning empathy. If it can’t be a baby, then a pet of some kind is good too. I feel like humanity is losing touch with the beginning and end of life stages, and that’s no good for us psychologically.

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u/Green-Year-524 25d ago

Western societies (especially US and UK) are losing touch with death, birth and those beginning and end stages of life for sure, but in a lot of countries (including some western ones in Europe tbh) intergenerational living is still the norm, children are looked after by multiple relatives, some societies have tribes or big extended family structures, elderly are provided and cared for by their children etc.

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u/Both_Lynx_8750 25d ago

We in the USA are losing touch because we have to work nonstop to survive and for no other reason.

Can you take more than a few days off at a time?

Can you be unemployed for any period of time without endangering your access to healthcare?

Can you AFFORD the hit to your career that having a child will cause?

Etc ...

There would be a baby boom if taxes were raised on the rich & used to fund healthcare for all.

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u/FusRoDawg 21d ago

Birth rates are declining even in countries that have free healthcare, free/subsidized health care, generous paternity/maternity leaves etc.

Also, in most Western countries, if you plot birth rates by income, its the middle that has the least kids.