Thread by @FreedomFriesInc

Thread: Pope Francis is very unwise to say this.

I think the reasons for choosing to be childfree are complex & primarily economic. Also, people are more likely to avoid human relationships altogether, bc of societal/cultural changes since the 80s.

nytimes.com/2022/01/20/opi…

As a woman past childbearing age who has always chosen to be childfree, I have heard admonishments like those of Papa Frank more times than I care to remember.

So I know how repugnant and hurtful they can be. Esp. to those who don't choose to be childfree.

I'm talking about being called "selfish" for not having children.

And there is only reason the Pope said this. A very simplistic belief that not having enough workers and taxpayers places the survival of retirees and others in jeopardy.

There are an infinite number of ways to address the problem of a top heavy demographic chart. Encouraging childbearing is not the only way, and many of the other ways are better for everyone involved.

IMO, many cases of non-childbearing are due to non-economic factors.

It has become easier to avoid social contact and the possibility of long term relationships in the nature of marriage.

No point debating whether it is good or bad, it just is.

I know of a few women who chose to single-parent from the start, too.

The only thing that could've motivated me to "start a family" when I was physically able, was being in a stable long term relationship with someone who I liked enough to want to go through all that with. I considered it once or twice, but I'm glad I never did it. YMMV of course.

Thankfully we live in an age where introverts can get our social needs met without having to devote much of our time to leaving the house and engaging with the outside world.😁 It's way more convenient, safe, and affordable not to bother.

Building a healthy relationship/marriage can take a lot of effort, and a lot of focus away from your career, too.

In many cases, a person chooses not to pass on genetic predispositions to medical conditions they know about.

Adopting, IVF etc can be difficult paths to take.

And for many people, the idea of having kids doesn't happen in early adulthood. Often, women delay childbearing into their 30s and even 40s, then find out it gets more difficult as each year passes.

It's not "selfish." It's about survival.

It's questionable whether religious leaders should even comment on secular issues like the birth rate. But it's no surprise that the head of the Roman Catholic church would do this.

Berating the childfree was an extremely ill-advised move.

I'd love to find a good source of research evidence unpacking the different reasons for being childfree.

I think a large subgroup would be disabled people (20% of the population) who know they can't add such long term demands to their existing day to day life.

And those who can't guarantee they'll ever have enough money to support children and give them a good life. When you're already dealing with poverty, you don't need extra mouths to feed if you can possibly help it.

Pope Francis is hated by many on the right wing, who see him as a politician using his role to reach a global audience. This includes ultra-traditional Catholics.

Calling the childfree "selfish" may lead to a number on the left disregarding his opinions, too.

The pandemic showed me that right wing parties tend to abandon emergency public health measures in favor of what their voters perceive as "the economy."

They have it all wrong. Allowing a pandemic to kill more people than it otherwise would, is very bad for the economy.

It was a large part of why I stopped supporting right wing parties everywhere. I am a conservative. But the conservative/right leaning parties act against my values.

So I am now more comfortable around people who are genuinely centrist or who lean left.

The current Pope has taken the RC church further to the political left than his predecessors did. But he is spectacularly incompetent in some of the things he says about subjects like being childfree.

He influences a lot of people, so I have to notice what he says.

I was raised by protestants who were themselves raised to shun catholics, going back hundreds of years to the time of Henry VIII. I've worked diligently for decades to excise that bigotry from my mind, and I will keep trying to do that, regarding all religions, and "no religion."

Religion or, faith, can be a force for good in the world. Unfortunately, there are daily reminders that it can often be the opposite.

IMO, archaic notions about something as personal as childbearing are "unhelpful."

Now, I'm going to walk my dog.😁