Having children is “morally suspect” because they cause global warming, a US academic has said.
Travis Rieder, of Johns Hopkins University, claims that having a child is “one of the worst things you can do for the environment”.
His comments are strikingly similar to those of prominent feminist Gloria Steinem, who claimed in a speech last year that abortion helps reduce global warming.
‘Murderer’
In a comment piece for NBC news, Rieder implied that having a child is akin to releasing a murderer from prison:
“If I release a murderer from prison, knowing full well that he intends to kill innocent people, then I bear some responsibility for those deaths”.
“Something similar is true, I think, when it comes to having children: Once my daughter is an autonomous agent, she will be responsible for her emissions. But that doesn’t negate my responsibility.”
He added: “Having a child imposes high emissions on the world, while the parents get the benefit. So like with any high-cost luxury, we should limit our indulgence.”
Global warming
Attendees of a Planned Parenthood fundraising event last year were told nothing is more important than abortion and that childbirth causes global warming.
Speaking at the event in Memphis, Tennessee, prominent feminist Gloria Steinem said: “Nothing but nothing is more important than ensuring our fundamental right to reproductive freedom.”
She ridiculed people with pro-life views and claimed that not being able to access abortion is “the single biggest cause of global warming”.
Planned Parenthood is the biggest abortion provider in the United States.