Iām really surprised by how common it is for peopleās thoughts to turn in this direction! (cf. this recent twitter thread) A few points Iād stress in reply:
(1) Pro-natalism just means being pro-fertility in general; it doesnāt mean requiring reproduction every single moment, or no matter the costs.
(2) Assuming standard liberal views about the (zero) moral status of the non-conscious embryo, thereās nothing special about abortion from a pro-natalist perspective. Itās just like any other form of family planningāany other moment when you refrain from having a child but could have done otherwise.
(3) Violating peopleās bodily autonomy is a big deal; even granting that itās good to have more kids all else equal, itās hard to imagine a realistic scenario in which āforced birthā would be for the best, all things considered. (For example, itās obviously better for people to time their reproductive choices to better fit with when theyāre in a position to provide well for their kids. Not to mention the Freakonomics stuff about how unwanted pregnancies, if forced to term, result in higher crime rates in subsequent decades.)
In general, we should just be really, really wary about sliding from āX is good, all else equalā to āForce everyone to do X, no matter what!ā Remember your J.S. Mill, everyone! Utilitarians should be liberal.
Iām really surprised by how common it is for peopleās thoughts to turn in this direction! (cf. this recent twitter thread) A few points Iād stress in reply:
(1) Pro-natalism just means being pro-fertility in general; it doesnāt mean requiring reproduction every single moment, or no matter the costs.
(2) Assuming standard liberal views about the (zero) moral status of the non-conscious embryo, thereās nothing special about abortion from a pro-natalist perspective. Itās just like any other form of family planningāany other moment when you refrain from having a child but could have done otherwise.
(3) Violating peopleās bodily autonomy is a big deal; even granting that itās good to have more kids all else equal, itās hard to imagine a realistic scenario in which āforced birthā would be for the best, all things considered. (For example, itās obviously better for people to time their reproductive choices to better fit with when theyāre in a position to provide well for their kids. Not to mention the Freakonomics stuff about how unwanted pregnancies, if forced to term, result in higher crime rates in subsequent decades.)
In general, we should just be really, really wary about sliding from āX is good, all else equalā to āForce everyone to do X, no matter what!ā Remember your J.S. Mill, everyone! Utilitarians should be liberal.