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Antinatalism NZ has three goals:
Antinatalism NZ has three goals:
The Community Building of Antinatalists, and the Antinatalist-adjacent.
The elimination of Misconceptions, and
The promotion of Free and Open Discussion.
1. Community
1. Community
See: Member Stories
Antinatalists are just every day people. We care about each other, we care about the lives of those around us, and we even care about the lives of future beings who will exist but are not already here. However, due to social pressures, Antinatal views tend to be overwhelmingly private.
Due to these social pressures, along with the prominence and rise of Childfree Couples in New Zealand, we promote the gathering of Antinatalists and the normalization of Antinatalist-beliefs in New Zealand. We also aim towards community-building - enabling us to share our thoughts with one another openly - thus deepening and expanding our views on Antinatalism and/or being Childfree. The goal is to have a welcoming and inclusive community of people who are happy to be who they are, and who are happy to believe in what they believe in.
NOTE: Our goal is not to convince non-Antinatalists into believing Antinatalism. Rather, we wish to open the floor for free discussion for all, and build a healthy and welcoming community of Antinatalists/Antinatalist-adjacent. We wish for everyone to be able to feel supported in the exploration of their own views, without fear of stigma and pushback.
For more see our Events page.
He aha te mea nui o te ao
What is the most important thing in the world?
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
It is the people, it is the people, it is the people
Māori proverb
2. Misconceptions of Antinatalism
2. Misconceptions of Antinatalism
Antinatalism is commonly misrepresented. There are many breeds of Antinatalism, and as many roads lead to Rome, so too do many beliefs lead to Antinatalism. The only consistency in Antinatal beliefs is that there is a negative value assigned to procreation- a view which can be interpreted and expanded on in a multitude of ways.
The following bullet points should clear up a few common misconceptions:
One can be an Antinatalist without hating children - Many Antinatalists love kids.
One can be an Antinatalist without thinking life is miserable - Many Antinatalists live happy, content lives.
One can be an Antinatalist as well as a parent - Many Antinatalists have had children or may even plan to have children (for various external reasons).
One can be an Antinatalist and be prolife/prochoice - Being an Antinatalist does not necessarily subscribe you to a specific view on abortion.
One can be an Antinatalist and believe the future will get better -Antinatalists can be optimistic about the future of humanity.
One can be an Antinatalist and want to take care of future generations - We have obligations to live sustainably and make the future of our planet one worth living in.
One can be an Antinatalist and believe that parenting can be life-changing and rewarding - Many Antinatalists understand that a lot of parents will find parenting difficult, yet immensely rewarding.
That is not to say that the above misunderstandings are necessarily uncorrelated with Antinatalism - many Antinatalists tend to be childfree, for example - rather none of the above views are not necessary tied to Antinatalist thought. Antinatalism is merely the view that one assigns a negative value to procreation. Most of the above misconceptions arise from conflating the ideas of "a life worth starting", with "a life worth continuing".
For more see the FAQ.
3. Free and Open Discussion
3. Free and Open Discussion
We promote the open and free discussion of antinatalism and antinatalism-adjacent beliefs.
We believe that everyone should be able to hold childfree or Antinatal beliefs and discussions without fear of exclusion and discrimination.
Antinatalist and Childfree views should be normalised, and we aim to reduce stigma around the topic.
A common response to the Antinatalist is that they should end their own life, or that they are depressed. Often this is phrased insincerely and harshly - so it can be quite an insensitive and rude response. Remind anyone who responds like this that Antinatalism does not imply that it is good to end one's life, and it does not imply that one is depressed. The view that life is so bad that one should end their own life is called Promortalism. While Antinatalists can be Promortalists, they do not have to be and in fact few of them are. Regardless, it is not appropriate to tell someone to end their own life (see more here).
Apart from this response, there are plenty of other hostile responses to Antinatalism, and they are often very personal. This is not OK.
We wish for a future where holding Antinatal beliefs is just as normal as holding Vegan beliefs - a future where even if there is disagreement, there is a polite acceptance that since we live in an open society, we ought to respect each other's views and beliefs without fear of hostility and discrimination.
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