HGTV’s Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines are having another baby, but one feminist says they should have run that decision by her – and society at large. She claims that the Gaines were “irresponsible,” but her position is irrational and a turn off to regular women who treasure the ability to give life.
The Gaines recently announced their fifth pregnancy on social media. Chip posted on Instagram:
“Gaines party of 7.. (If you’re still confused.. WE ARE PREGNANT).”
Joanna tweeted a video of the baby’s ultrasound with the caption:
@joannagaines: .@chipgaines swears he can already tell it’s a boy. Look at the little heartbeat!!”
10:22 AM – Jan 3, 2018
But not everyone was cheerful. Feminist writer Kristen Pyszczyk slammed the couple for not taking into consideration global problems stemming from over-population including climate change and income inequality.
Pyszczyk says it’s important that society has conversations about procreation, which is generally celebrated, and be candid about how each new child “affects everyone who inhabits our planet.” She presents child-bearing as a game of survival of the fittest in a bleak, dystopic world of depleted resources with humanity careening towards mass extinction.
Given that backdrop, she condemns the Gaines saying:
“It's not OK to have five kids without once considering adoption. There are so many children in North America and beyond in need of loving homes, yet adoption rates in many areas are lagging.
“I get that humankind's theoretical demise is not enough to justify abstaining from what is for many the most meaningful experience of a lifetime. But it's not theoretical. Climate change is getting measurably worse, populations are multiplying exponentially and economic inequality is not getting better. And to top it off, Prince is dead. Don't bring a child into this.”
Most remarkably, Pyszczyk tells us:
“Procreation is becoming a global public health concern, rather than a personal decision. So when people do irresponsible things like having five children, we absolutely need to be calling them out.”
Advocating for more environmentally-friendly behavior is understandable, but Pyszczyk has a more sinister agenda.
Even with 7 billion people, the world is not overpopulated, especially not America. Furthermore, the world grows enough food to feed 10 billion people, but the hunger persists. It’s not for lack of food and resources that poverty exists.
If a celebrity couple has another child, the baby does not take food out of the mouth of the other nearly 7 billion people already on the planet. It’s time to stop scaring women and families into thinking that they have to sacrifice their dreams and desires for kids. That is not empowerment, but eugenics.
Pyszczyk couldn’t be more wrong about who owns the decision to bring a child into the world. While children are born into a society, they aren’t the property of society like cattle to be judged and discarded at the whim of the mob.
This perspective takes personal decisions out of the hands of women and families and places it in the hands of society – perhaps government – to be treated as just another number.
Pyszczyk’s piece also reveals a tactic by many on the left to push their aggressive agendas: shaming. If you disagree with someone, gather a mob (online) and shame that person into submission or quiet:
Shame is a powerful tool for changing behaviour: it's how we introduce new and existing social conventions. It's unfortunate that Chip and Joanna bore the brunt of changing attitudes, but let's learn from the reaction and examine our own actions.
Most people will find this feminist’s views revolting. However, there’s a perspective pushed by those who agree with her that takes individual and family decision-making out of the hands of people and places it within society and government. When you push for a bigger role of government, it comes at the cost of personal liberty and choice.
Finally, Pyszczyk should be careful. If her parents agreed to the demands she’s making of Chip and Joanna, we might not be reading her thoughts today.