Procreation is always an involuntary lottery, with no way of knowing beyond all doubt the misfortunes and maladies that will befall your progeny. It is always better to not be born than to roll the dice and hope for the best. I do not feel that the latter is ethically sound, in my opinion.
Childhood abuse, neglect, inadequate care and trauma are underestimated, important issues. However, I do not believe that the majority of parents are psychopathic.
Many of us see life through the lens of severe suffering, systemic disadvantage, debilitating disease and so much more. We see the worst this world has to offer and the unrelenting ruthlessness that can befall anyone.
Society will preach that there is no greater gift than life and that being a parent is the ultimate sacrifice an individual can make. This is a message that is widespread and deeply ingrained, along with the view that life itself is a sacred gift to be cherished.
Most parents do not realise the potential for pain that existence can bring, and just how severely one can suffer. Those who have led successful lives hope to be able to provide a good life for their offspring (and in many cases - not all, of course - they probably do provide that in all honesty). With rose-tinted glasses that have not been tainted, they perhaps feel joy at the thought of bringing another human being into existence, like planting a seed in the earth and watching it grow.
Those who have not may hope that they can give their children a better life, that they can erase the errors of their own parents or compensate for their misfortunes.
However, I do feel it is often an act of ignorance and selfishness, even if they believe otherwise. Even if they have pure intentions. Good intentions is not good enough.
There are people - too many, in my opinion - who have kids even if they're evidently ill-equipped to care for a child, have poor genetics that can result in additional hardship and illnesses, or are unable to provide stability and quality of life. They lack the foresight and insight to consider the many ways in which life can go wrong. And it is the child who would ultimately pay the price.
I intend no disrespect to parents on this forum in stating the above. These are my own views that others are free to disagree with. I strongly stand against the spiteful rhetoric I have seen towards all parents as a whole (on other threads). I may be an antinatalist, but I do not feel it's at all acceptable to make sweeping generalisations that shit on every parent because of my stance on this subject. I just wanted to make that clear.
