In- <i>Conceivable Futures</i> : Climate Change and Reproductive Decision Making Among Childfree North Americans

This paper engages in a content analysis of public testimonies available through the Conceivable Future project, a network of individuals from the United States and Canada who seek to bring awareness to the threat climate change poses to reproductive justice. How are these individuals navigating reproductive decision making amid the climate crisis? Specifically focusing on individuals who express that they are choosing not to have children, we explore how emotional experiences, family planning, and environmental concern collide within the Anthropocene. Analysis of testimonies revealed a number of themes. Most people struggled with ethical questions about what it means to be accountable to and responsible for future generations in a warming world. Their concerns were tied to visions of future climate apocalypse and, implicitly and explicitly, to recognition of their own privileges living in North America. Many encountered some form of stigma or social pressure from family, friends, and/or broader society about their choice to remain childfree, sentiments more strongly expressed by women. Ultimately, individuals forgoing having kids express motivations rooted in love and the hope that they can channel their energies into alternative forms of caregiving and/or activism.