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Then, there's this: "People who envision having a baby often forget that they are creating an entirely new human being who will leave in a few years as an adult." Honey, I forgot the toddler would grow up!
Mieszkowski seems amused--in a patronizing way--by VHEMT's assertions, but it does seem that there are a great many people who don't seem to grasp that childrearing is more than just a collection of Kodak moments. I suspect that they come from the same pool of folks who adopt that golden retriever puppy because it's so cute and fluffy but drop it off at the shelter, neglected and unloved, because they didn't realize it would get so big and require so much care. The only difference is that there's more social sanction against abandoning children than there is against abandoning unwanted pets.
VHEMT is tilting at windmills, but if they are making people think more carefully about whether and why to have children, they're providing an important service. If their ideas became more widespread, they could help to prevent some serious family dysfunction, neglect, and abuse...if only the societal pressure to reproduce weren't so overwhelming.
