On Saturday, when my blog was down, my husband and I read this incredibly sad and disturbing article, and I've been mulling over a post about it ever since. Here are some of the "highlights":
Had Toni Vernelli gone ahead with her pregnancy ten years ago, she
would know at first hand what it is like to cradle her own baby, to
have a pair of innocent eyes gazing up at her with unconditional love,
to feel a little hand slipping into hers - and a voice calling her
Mummy.
But the very thought makes her shudder with horror.
Because when Toni terminated her pregnancy, she did so in the firm belief she was helping to save the planet...
While some might think it strange to celebrate the reversal of
nature and denial of motherhood, Toni relishes her decision with an
almost religious zeal."Having children is selfish. It's all about maintaining your genetic line at the expense of the planet," says Toni, 35.
"Every person who is born uses more food, more water, more land,
more fossil fuels, more trees and produces more rubbish, more
pollution, more greenhouse gases, and adds to the problem of
over-population."
To read the whole article, click here.
I read this article with my mouth hanging open, unable to believe the deception that these women and their partners have bought into. To believe that saving the world at any cost is an honorable and worthy pursuit, even at the cost of killing your own child, is deception indeed.
If we are not re-evaluating our current lifestyles and seeking to be more ecologically friendly for the hope of a future generation, then why do it at all? What good are clean and pure ocean waters without someone to swim, fish or sail in them? Of what value is it to renew the soil we have stripped through poor farming practices and begin to once again grow nutrient-dense and pesticide free produce, if there is no one to eat it?
I saw a dark vein running through the article, perhaps somewhat subtle, but it stood out to me so obviously. These women claim that having children and "over-populating" the earth is the ultimate selfish act (please, don't go there with me about the myth of over population). And yet, as I read about their decisions and their lifestyles (particularly Toni), I detect a selfishness far greater.
Our culture has bought the lie that we ought to have comfortable, even luxurious lives, full of the pleasures we believe we deserve. It has also taught us that children are an affront to this indulgent lifestyle that we are owed. It begins with choosing to have only one or two, or even no children, because they come at too great of a cost (but how will we buy a 4000 sq ft home, and travel the world, and eat out 3 nights a week, and own a plasma tv?). And now this selfishness is being cloaked in self-righteousness. It's not because I am selfish- it's because I am so altruistic that I couldn't possibly burden this planet with another child.
In defense of our children, I see a much longer lasting legacy than preventing the use of more water, land and oil. I see the legacy of children being raised to care for and take dominion over the earth in a responsible, God-honoring way. Children who will learn from their parents, and grandparents, and great-grandparents mistakes, and be the leaders who will make the necessary transformation to a society that treads too heavily upon the earth. Children who will value the creation that has been given to us, value clean air, pure water, and healthy bodies, and lead revolutionary lives.
I look into my sweet baby's eyes, and I do not see cost, burden or destruction- I see the future, and I believe that if we are diligent in raising the next generation, that future is bright.
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