HER CHOICE: The trouble with saying you don’t want children
When Holly Brockwell spoke to the BBC about her decision not to have children, she knew she might be criticised on social media. But the attacks went far beyond what she had expected - accusations of selfishness soon turned into vitriolic abuse that made her deactivate her Twitter account.
“The fact is, there’s nothing about creating another human that appeals to me,” 29-year-old Holly Brockwell wrote in a story we published at the weekend, explaining why she wants to be sterilised.
Despite seeing a number of doctors she has so far not been able to undergo the procedure, either on the National Health Service or privately.
The follow-up article:
THE STRUGGLE TO STAY CHILD FREE
In most societies, getting married and having children is considered to be the norm - so what happens when people don’t conform? A Magazine story about two women who don’t want children prompted readers to get in touch and share their experiences.
“We can choose to get pregnant at 16 but not to decline motherhood at 29,” said Holly Brockwell in our recent story. She hasn’t been able to find a doctor willing to sterilise her. “It seems our decisions are only taken seriously when they align with tradition,” she wrote.
“Having a child is a burden for educated women in Iran,” wrote Nina, a Tehran businesswoman, in the same story. “It means you can’t concentrate on your job, your freedom is limited and if your marriage doesn’t work out, your chance of finding another husband is low.”
Here are five of your emails.