Rejecting pregnancy and birth: The case against procreation

Women’s oppression begins with reproduction – a claim that feels more provocative than ever in 2026, writes Verena Brunschweiger.

“WE ARE NOT JUST ANIMALS ANYMORE” (Dialectics of Gender: The Case of Feminist Revolution) writes the great novelist, philosopher and feminist Shulamith Firestone (1945–2012) in his most famous book, Dialectics of Gender – referring to reproduction.

Whether this is the reason spirit of the times The story of that era, or Firestone’s genius – it’s obvious why the book was such a hit at the time. It is equally clear that this will not concern anyone in 2026, when there is a global reaction. When a skincare YouTuber has a million followers but a radical feminist is barely known, something is deeply wrong.

Firestone wanted nothing more than to end the tyranny of the biological family, and he did not hesitate to name the biggest problem:

“The essence of the oppression of women is their role in bearing and raising children.”

While all self-proclaimed feminists acknowledge that motherhood burdens and leaves women behind in many ways, their approaches to the solution couldn’t be more different. Unfortunately, many of today’s pseudo-feminists believe that improving the conditions of motherhood is enough. But Firestone had a very clear vision: Of course, it is necessary to completely reject the project of pregnancy and birth, thus killing a hundred birds with one stone!

What is truly feminist is to apply the Lysistrata principle, which partially inspired the young Korean women of the 4-B movement, and motivate men through consistent abstinence to a) end a war, as in Aristophanes’ comedy, b) create a world where living as a woman is also enjoyable, or c) save the environment by whatever means necessary.

But as long as the majority of women voluntarily allow themselves to become pregnant, of course not much can be accomplished as a single individual, although the world is not a pleasant place either politically or ecologically.

Firestone calls children extensions of the ego and laments the left’s failure to see the ecological population problem—even though the world’s population at the time was less than half its current size: 3.7 billion! In this context, it is useful to remember the I-PAT formula, where the effect consists of the parameters population (P), wealth (A) and technology (T); This is a fact that is persistently ignored by many journalists and the majority of the population.

Giving birth according to Firestone “like shitting in a pumpkin”, and it is very comforting to read that someone in 1970 had come up with such clear words and was not so cowardly as to openly emphasize the barbaric, bestial nature of pregnancy and birth. But even in Firestone’s time, it was dangerous to speak so openly against motherhood. He noted in 1970 that it might be possible to get away with this simply by adding that the person is neurotic or hates children, and it is heartbreaking to realize that the situation is still similar in 2026.

For Firestone and me, this is about freeing women from the tyranny of reproduction, protecting their bodies, minds, souls, and finances, and not compromising all of that to do the patriarchy the greatest favor possible. Firestone rightly describes pregnancy as follows: “clumsy, inefficient, and painful.”

Anthropocentrism is a bad habit that can be attributed to most philosophers, but also to most ordinary people, and can have disastrous consequences for animals and plants. If one is not to pay attention to them for their own sake, one should at least be smart enough to understand that the destruction of ecosystems will have disastrous consequences for these wonderful people.

Someone should explain to the reactionary ignoramuses that it is not me who likes to provoke, but rather thoughtful people who like to think that it is provoked by those who still see 2026 as a suitable year to raise a new person. This is crazy, not a warning against a project that offers nothing but drawbacks for everyone involved (aside from a few advantages for the owners of the respective mini-me).

The idea that we do not rush to death, but rather escape the catastrophe of birth, is a truth expressed in one way or another by other great philosophers, from Montaigne to Schopenhauer.

Luckily, we have a choice. As soon as you come into the world, you are chained in one way or another, or even in several ways. Let’s take a lesson from a great philosopher and avoid placing burdens on women and innocent people around us!

Verena Brunschweiger is an author, childfree activist and feminist whose 2019 manifesto caused international excitement. She writes on environmentalism, feminism and philosophy.

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