The hippy response to Italy’s health minister’s fertility day

by Angelica Basile - 2016.10.18

Who knows what Italy's Minister Lorenzin would think of the young couples in America who are celebrating not having children. Whether it is for economic reasons, given the cost of maintaining offspring, or the choice merely to enjoy one’s career and share life together seeing the world. One thing is for sure, the number of “vasectomy parties” is continuing to rise. Events where friends and parents are invited to celebrate with newlyweds their childless future, after having undergone the operation for sterilization.



A response that speaks, especially, of all those women who no longer want to be a wife or mother, just because society wants that of them. “Everyone kept asking me when I was going to have the first little one?” – recounts Amy Smith, 37-year old life-coach from Orange County, California who recently toasted her husband’s vasectomy with about 10 friends. “It was really getting frustrating, seeing as I’ve always known I didn’t want to have kids. Which is why we decided to make public a decision that we have been planning for some time now”



A "proud child-free" loud and clear, advertised everywhere, including the social network, of course. “They say they’re just going to make a small incision. It scares me a little, but I’m lucky that my neighbors have brought me my favorite cake” – “The_richie” signs his Instagram account, with a photo attached of the cake, upon which the words “Bye bye Kiddos” are written in Chocolate. Appropriately given Richie a few hours after the operation.



Instead, on Twitter, 37-year old Marie Assante, who never wanted kids, made an announcement to her girlfriends that she was having a car shower: to celebrate the arrival of her beautiful super shiny sedan. “Today, after 9 months, Stormy is finally at home with me. Weight 1,67 tons and doing fine” – she announces. And she’s not alone. Seeing as the majority of 40-year old women who’ve decided not to surround themselves with bibs and pacifiers have decided to adopt a dog to treat like a child. And then, there is always more space for a purchase of something really important (better yet if it is super costly and luxurious), possible precisely because of the decision to not have kids.



And if you think that this is just another bizarre fad among a few odd people on the fringes of society, just click on WereNotHavingABaby.com. One of the many blogs featuring tons of comments about the how and why the decision to say “No” to baby came about. “I do not want to live my life doing what others expect me to do – writes Stefany – “life is so short and I want to spend it living the way I want to. And I’m perfectly fine thinking about myself and my interests, without children”.