Do you believe that it is morally, ethically, and/or environmentally correct to have a lot of children?

Question

Nowadays, some people are beginning to worry about the issue of human overpopulation and the environmental effects that such a large amount of humans have on this planet. We are seemingly using more and more resources per person as the years go by. However, I know many families that have a lot of children. From what I understand, some countries have placed a limit of some sorts on how many children a family can have. In order to keep the population from exponentially increasing, having 2 or less children per family would be the way to go. (one child to "replace" the mother, one child to "replace" the father) However, I know many families that have 4, 5, 6 or more children. Hundreds of years ago, this was considered normal, but there were far less people, the average life span was significantly less, and there were no environmental concerns. At this point in time, it is morally, ethically, or environmentally correct to have such large families? What do you think?

Answer 1

In a Western industrialised society it is indefensible to have more than a replacement number of children, that is to say, two.

In an exclusively agrarian or fishing community, there is a reasonable case to be made for having more, on the grounds that more hands make lighter work, and a family unit is often more economically sound than a working group whose members are unrelated.

Regretably, human beings have been more than successful in the last 5,000 years. We have become a cancer on the face of the world. We have now reached the point where our level of consumption and waste of planetary resources has gone beyond that which the planet can sustain.

The result will be catastrophic. Planetary warming is only the start. As oceans warm up they expand over all low-lying land. Most of the major centres of the human population and most of it's food, are found only a few feet above the current sea level.

This means that in two or three generations more than half the human population will be starving to death. Do you wonder that politicians are now (belatedly) getting worried?
Unfortunately, as usual, they've left it too late.

Answer 2

Morals and ethics really have nothing to do with the decision. Environmentally - I don't think it's a big issue either.

The biggest issue is finances.

It is absolutely wrong and rude to say anything againt a large family that supports themselves and do not add a drain on society.

On the other hand, it is absolutely wrong for a couple who cannot afford a child to have a child then add themselves and that child to the growing list of welfare recipients. Then, inevitably, they go and have more kids. Well, that's the norm in this area of the USA anyway.
It is irresponsible to give birth to children you cannot afford.

Answer 3

Thanks for posting an original and thought provoking question. I'm going to take a moment to ponder before answering.

I think it is irresponsible for yourself and the children to have an extra large family that you can't provide for. You're right about now being different from history in that life expectancies are longer and fervent reproduction is no longer necessary to maintain society at a sustainable level. So we can now afford to be more timely and selective about having children, which means waiting until the point where you are economically and psychologically prepared for parenthood, and being willing to go without children if you do not reach that point. Morals and ethics about what's right and wrong are so subjective that I often find them to have little meaning. But do think that, at this point in human history, we would be better stewards to the environment and be better off socially if we were more selective with our breeding.

Answer 4

I do think it's irresponsible. Those shows on cable where families have 17 or 8 or 16 children are ridiculous. They just think it's funny how many thousands of diapers they go through in a year. Bet they have never visited a landfill?! I think our country is entirely overpopulated. I'm sticking to adopting animals from the shelters as my family.

Answer 5

Having large families is ok. And having those laws for only havings 2 or less children are mean. I am one of 3 and my friend is one of 5. And we don't go around beheading people or cutting holes in the ozone layer.

Answer 6

Really i feel that it is hard to decide because a lot of people in our nation (U.S.) can look back at their grandparents or greatgrandparents and most likely they had a lot of children. but nowadays with the divorce rate being so high and lots of people not even wanting to have kids we're bound to start having less and less kids.

Answer 7

if ppl can afford them its not my business..