A man in India is threatening to take his own parents to court, claiming they decided to give birth to him without his permission.
Self-described ‘anti-natalist’ Raphael Samuel believes it is wrong for parents to choose to put an unwilling child through “the rigmarole of life” purely for their own pleasure and entertainment.
Comparing childbirth to “slavery and kidnapping”, the 27-year-old from Mumbai told The Print: “I want to tell all Indian kids that they don’t owe their parents anything.
“I love my parents, and we have a great relationship, but they had me for their joy and their pleasure. My life has been amazing, but I don’t see why I should put another life through the rigamarole of school and finding a career, especially when they didn’t ask to exist.”
The anti-natalist movement – which is also referred to as the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement – is gaining traction in India as younger people resist social pressure to have children, arguing that life which has not given its consent to live should not be brought into the world.
“Other Indian people must know that it is an option not to have children, and to ask your parents for an explanation as to why they gave birth to you,” Samuel added.
Samuel also runs a Facebook page ‘Nihilanand’ where he regularly posts anti-natalist material featuring slogans such as: “‘Children are entitled’. Oh really? I thought giving birth to another being without it’s consent and forcing it to work and pay bills for your pleasure is the definition of entitled.”
Another reads: “Isn’t forcing a child into this world, and then forcing it to have a career, kidnapping and slavery?”
Last year an ABC commentator sparked debate in Australia when she claimed that parents should ask newborn babies for consent before changing their dirty nappies. Author and educator Deanne Carson, who regularly works with families and children, appeared on the show to offer her expertise on families exisiting in a culture of consent.
She explained she works with newborns to help them feel comfortable and confident in their own bodies. Apparently, this includes checking with a baby before you change smelly nappies.
“[It’s] about how to set up a culture of consent in their homes. So, ‘I’m going to change your nappy now. Is that okay?’” Carson said.
“Of course, a baby is not going to respond: ‘Yes mum, that’s awesome! I’d love to have my nappy changed’, but if you leave a space and wait for body language and wait to make eye contact, then you’re letting that child know that their response matters.”