It Depends …

The question as posed assumes everyone should have offspring, which is patently false. Various individuals join religious orders in which they take vows of celibacy. A Catholic priest or nun presumably should not have a family of any size. There are lots of other reasons why an individual might choose not to have children, for example if it has been determined that he/she has genes that would pass along a serious malady. Another excellent reason not to have children might be the fact that one is so poor that one can barely afford to support himself, to say nothing of a family. Over-population is an excellent reason for limiting family size. The obvious answer to the question posed is that “It depends …”. Religions that denounce rational family planning seem to this writer just wrong. It is hard to believe that an all- good God would sanction such a prohibition.