‘Stop Having Kids’ movement spreads across the US, calling for an end to human reproduction
A Portland-based organization urging people not to have children has gone national. Stop Having Kids gained local notoriety with billboards erected in the Portland area, but is now spreading to other cities throughout the country.
Ashley Riddle, spokeswoman for Stop Having Kids, told the Willamette Week the group is an “antinatalist” group and a “collective liberation movement” opposed to all human reproduction. The billboards were made possible thanks to anonymous donors. “There was some difficulty in finding a company that would follow through,” Riddle said. “[Companies] would seem all for it, and then they stopped responding.”
According to the Stop Having Kids website, choosing not to reproduce is a way to show that you truly care for others. The group calls for normalizing and destigmatizing sterilization and abortion, and claims it is cruel to bring children into the world as it is today. Reasons to not have children range from outdated, debunked claims — from the idea that there are enough people already — to the outright ableist idea of preventing birth defects.
And though the group is headquartered in Portland, it is growing. Chapters are forming in cities like Houston and Boulder, while the group’s Facebook page reports interest from cities like San Francisco and New York City. The group also frequently engages in outreach around the country, most recently visiting SXSW in Austin, Texas, to spread its anti-child message.
One follower tweeted sentiments reminiscent of the lines spoken by Agent Smith in “The Matrix” — that children are “horrible things,” and a “virus” and “bacteria” consuming resources. The follower also claimed that sex was not “designed” for reproduction, but for “FUN.” (others say having children is a 'crime against humanity...mz)
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A Portland-based organization urging people not to have children has gone national. Stop Having Kids gained local notoriety with billboards erected in the Portland area, but is now spreading to other cities throughout the country.
Ashley Riddle, spokeswoman for Stop Having Kids, told the Willamette Week the group is an “antinatalist” group and a “collective liberation movement” opposed to all human reproduction. The billboards were made possible thanks to anonymous donors. “There was some difficulty in finding a company that would follow through,” Riddle said. “[Companies] would seem all for it, and then they stopped responding.”
According to the Stop Having Kids website, choosing not to reproduce is a way to show that you truly care for others. The group calls for normalizing and destigmatizing sterilization and abortion, and claims it is cruel to bring children into the world as it is today. Reasons to not have children range from outdated, debunked claims — from the idea that there are enough people already — to the outright ableist idea of preventing birth defects.
And though the group is headquartered in Portland, it is growing. Chapters are forming in cities like Houston and Boulder, while the group’s Facebook page reports interest from cities like San Francisco and New York City. The group also frequently engages in outreach around the country, most recently visiting SXSW in Austin, Texas, to spread its anti-child message.
One follower tweeted sentiments reminiscent of the lines spoken by Agent Smith in “The Matrix” — that children are “horrible things,” and a “virus” and “bacteria” consuming resources. The follower also claimed that sex was not “designed” for reproduction, but for “FUN.” (others say having children is a 'crime against humanity...mz)
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'Stop Having Kids' movement spreads across the US, calling for an end to human reproduction
A spokeswoman for Stop Having Kids said the group is "antinatalist" and a "collective liberation movement" opposed to all human reproduction.
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