Not feeling guilty

So having children is a choice and not just something everyone has to do?
It's fundamental that we can choose not to have children, because children who are a burden don't always have an easy life. Before contraception, certain women experienced the kind of frustration we could never imagine today. It's a good thing that children aren't born to women who don't want them, because they wouldn't be happy and they wouldn't make their parents happy. And at the same time, just because you want children doesn't necessarily mean you'll be a good mother.

Women who don't have children are often made to feel remorseful...
They shouldn't feel guilty: quite the opposite. They're being a lot more responsible than women who don't even ask themselves if they really want children or if they just want to be pregnant, or who just follow the marriage-baby path. Women who say no to motherhood have thought long and hard about the pleasure and the pain of being a mum and have analysed the commitments and problems they don't think they can handle, which is admirable. Choosing not to become a mother if you don't want children shows a lot of maturity. We should leave these women alone instead of judging them.