What is The #BirthStrike Movement? And Why Are They Choosing to be Childfree?

I personally chose to be childfree because of my lifestyle preference. I never wanted to have kids or any of that life. But as I continue to live this childfree life every day and as I get to meet more men and women who decided not to have children, the more I realized how this choice is really beyond ourselves. This choice impacts us, the quality of life the future generation will have and has a massive impact on our environment.

I recently read an article that I read about celebrities Miley Cyrus and her husband Liam Hemsworth deciding to go on “birthstrike”. And their primary reason is that they don’t want to add to the overpopulation crisis which is causing harm to our earth. And they are totally right. Children have one of the biggest negative factors on our planet with a massive carbon footprint.

The #BirthStrike Movement

This led me to research more on “#BirthStrike.” And as I’ve found out, it is actually a growing online community of men and who are choosing not to have children because of the overpopulation crisis contributing to climate change. According to their Facebook group, their decision is “due to the severity of the ecological crisis and the current inaction of governing forces in the face of this existential threat. Insecurity of future, despair at our species’ relationship to our habitat and each other, channeling time into activism and rebellion, are all common motivations.”

This is actually a refreshing and eye-opening perspective into choosing to procreate or not. More than just a personal decision, the choice to have children or not to have them will have lasting impacts in our environment that we should all be responsible for. A 2018 report from the IPCC said that overpopulation is putting a serious strain on our environment. And if not addressed, it will cause unimaginable catastrophic effects that threaten our very own survival. Thinking about it, I don’t want to live in that kind of future. And I’m sure if you have children, you wouldn’t want them to live that kind of life, too.

It’s not just a personal choice

Overpopulation is a real issue that I think everyone should be concerned and be serious about. It’s not just a problem only policymakers in the government should face but it’s also ours as individuals. I’m not saying that we should all stop having kids. Don’t get me wrong. What I’m saying is that we cannot simply make these decisions just because our families and friends are pressuring us or expect us to. We owe it to our earth to make the best decision for a sustainable future. It’s really time to look at the bigger picture.

If you’ve been following me on social media (and if you’ve read my book), one of the things that I’ve been constantly telling people is the message about respecting choice and the importance of being responsible for those choices. We must realize that all of our choices really have bigger consequences than we could ever imagine. And by choosing to be childfree, I realized that I’m actually helping the earth (in my own little way) recover from the devastation caused by overpopulation. Let’s not fear the judgment other people may pose upon us for choosing this. It won’t solve the problem, anyway. Because at the end, the choice you and I make today (to be childfree or not) matters for our future.