I'm opening comments on this post, but only for those who are altering (or have already altered) their family planning due to the social, economic, or political conditions in the US (or if you have specific family planning expertise) — we'd love to hear about your experience if you are willing to share. Especially women. I understand if you have opinions about what women and families should be doing right now, but you are free to express them elsewhere. Thanks.

I am pretty certain I don’t want to have kids, but turning 40 this year brings up some inevitable “time is running out to change your mind…” thoughts. I really fucking resent that the rise of fascism has to be a part of my decision-making equation.

Not commenting for me but my adult daughter and her friends. It used to be that the majority women in this age group wanted to become mothers at some point. There was a rare few that didn't. Today, none of these young women, including my daughter, want to have children. To no one's surprise, they cite the same reasons listed in the article. They also added that they didn't want to be forced to do the majority of childcare, housework and mental load on top of working. I did find it interesting that several of them said that their parents are openly discouraging them from having children for the same real concerns. I don't think this sentiment is limited to women though. I know a lot of young men who also do not want children too.

Got married last spring, finally starting to feel some excitement about the idea of having a baby. Now I just feel scared and helpless about the idea. The world doesn't feel like such a good place to bring a new life into anymore, and I feel genuine fear living in a deeply southern state that I could die during pregnancy or childbirth for a completely preventable reason. I'm 30 so I start thinking maybe wait a few more years... but the toothpaste is out of the tube, so it were. Doesn't seem like we'll be going back to the Roe days, and Vance could easily be elected in 2028. There's no guarantee of a positive future or improvement in bodily autonomy and healthcare so it just feels like I have to stare at myself in the mirror and ask myself if I'm willing to die for a baby. And honestly, my husband is amazing, but I don't think he can understand how real that fear is for me. It feels like the tepid excitement I've spent years building about motherhood has been ruined.