Childfreedom In History: Rising, But Not New.

Inconceivable: More married couples are choosing to not have kids, and are proud of it

This is hardly the first generation of people making such a decision. Over history, changes in society, technological breakthroughs and economic hard times have made it possible, and for some desirable, to refrain from producing offspring.

"Childlessness is not new," said Philip Morgan, a professor of sociology at Duke University.
. . .
During the Depression, he added, many Americans also chose not to have children because they could not afford them. "Childlessness levels now are not higher than those in the 1930s," he said. Even so, the rapid growth of the population since would suggest that more American couples than ever are choosing to stay child-free.
. . .
Some even see this issue as a defining one for modern American society, as a line in the sand in the nation's so-called culture wars, a place where science and beliefs clash.

One such person is Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. . ."I would argue that it (not having children) ought to be falling short of the glory of God. Deliberate childlessness defies God's will," he said.

Mohler, who uses the same basic argument in his opposition to same-sex marriage, said that rather than being concerned about overpopulation, he was concerned about underpopulation.

I've been thinking of taking an archnemesis. Am I big enough to have one? And yet, there is no arguing when you cannot agree on basic theological grounds. Perhaps that is best left to the christian childfree.

I liked the history discussion. Although the first part of this article was pretty standard stuff - with a few good quotes thrown in - for childfree articles, this is new. And I do love it when they quote professors.

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