Selfish or selfless? Anti-natalists say they’re going child-free to protect the kids they won’t have

Deciding not to have children can be motivated by a desire for freedom and self-actualization, but it doesn’t have to be. Often, among the anti-natalist online communities I study, the point of not having children is precisely to protect them. Above: Japanese anti-natalists demonstrate in Harajuku, Tokyo, in June 2023.