Women and Having Babies

I have a confession to make. I am a woman who does not want to have children. I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to bear a child. Not even holding other people's babies makes me want to have one of my own. I really don't even want to hold other people's babies for that matter, but I am not going to be rude.

And I am finding that there are other women out there who feel like I do. We are not heartless or cruel people. I am actually a very nice person. I give to charity, I care about the environment, I have a cat (I had two cats until December of last year) who I love with all of my heart and would do anything for, but I just don't want children.

I don't want the enormous responsibility of raising a child into a well-adjusted, decent human being. It is an enormous amount of responsibility that I know I am not equipped for. I feel like I can barely take care of myself sometimes. And I truly feel like it is the right decision for me. And I am tired of everyone assuming that just because I am a woman I should have children, that I should want to have children, that it is just the way it should be.

These days, a woman has a choice what she does with her body. Having children is a huge decision and a responsibilty that should not be taken lightly. It is not my right to have children. I should want to have children. I should be ready. All women should have this choice and make this choice. Children are not bargaining chips or pets or accessories or toys. They are small human beings that need to be nutured and loved and molded into big human beings. I am a woman, and I do not want to have children. I think it is the most selfless decision that I have ever made.