Restraining procreation ‘a method of prevention of suffering’: Ottawa man

‘Anti-natalists’ deem procreation to be unethical

There are those who want children and those who can’t have children.

And then there are those who think you shouldn’t have children … for the better of mankind.

Meet anti-natalists, people who philosophically believe that procreation is morally bad. While humans don’t have babies for one reason or another, these individuals are turned off from having kids to preserve the environment and to curb overpopulation.

According to the Daily Mail, the anti-natalist movement doesn’t want people to die, but rather diminish the world’s population until all humans ultimately perish.

One of those who believe in anti-natalism is Mark Maharaj of Ottawa. A self-professed vegan and philanthropic antinatalist, the 33-year-old believes restraining procreation is a “method of prevention of suffering.”

Maharaj told the Daily Mail he was influenced by the works of David Benatar, a South African academic and major believer in anti-natalism. Benatar’s book, Better to Never Have Been, stated people should never procreate because it will cause serious harm to the world.

“Before that, I technically didn’t want to procreate but

I had no idea about the philosophy until I looked it up,” said Maharaj. “When I found out about it, it gave me a lot of comfort knowing there was a school of thought that was in alignment with mine and there was also others who thought the same.”

Maharaj said he wanted to get a vasectomy but was denied by doctors because they believed he might change his mind later on. The single man usually brings up the subject of anti-natalism in the early stages of dating a partner, and if she wanted children, then he’d think “we weren’t a match with our life goals and views.”

The Ontario man believed that while anti-natalism is a “radical” philosophy, he said he’s “not like the more extreme end.”

The Daily Mail reported the militant intolerance of those who are under the anti-natalist category can be found on internet forums, which provides a safe haven for like-minded people to share their views.

For example, a poll in a closed anti-natalist forum showed darker undertones, asking: “What actions would you be willing to take to spread information about over-population/ anti-natalism?”

Answers ranged from “social media sharing”, “make birth control available over-thecounter” and “overpopulation demonstrations in schools”, to more eye-opening solutions such as “global compassionate and free euthanasia on-demand”, “voluntary paid sterilization” and “mandatory birth control to age 23”.

Benatar was noted as one of the first major believers in anti-natalism, stating there’s a distinction between “philanthropic” anti-natalists – beliefs that come from a love of humanity with concerns for humans who are brought into existence; and “misanthropic” anti-natalists, who think humanity is ultimately flawed.

The Daily Mail reported the anti-natalism movement has picked up steam in recent years and can overlap with environmental concerns in light of fears of an overpopulated earth and climate change.