The case in summary The case in summary: SP politician Chase Alexander Jordal believes the choice about voluntary childlessness is selfish and anti-life. He asks the media to drop stories about young people who choose not to have children. Jordal believes this can normalize childlessness, which is not good for society. He rejects the argument that more children will put extra strain on the climate due to overpopulation. Ingrid Liland, deputy head of MDG, disagrees with Jordal and believes that politicians should not comment on personal choices about having children. Liland believes it is important to take people’s concerns seriously, without getting involved in their personal choices. Sanna Kristine Laksholm (26) has come forward as a childless volunteer and is considering sterilizing herself for the climate. There have never been fewer children born per Norwegian woman than now. It also takes longer before parents have their first child, figures from Statistics Norway (SSB) show. Several politicians have encouraged women to give birth to more children and to start earlier. Four years ago, Erna Solberg used her New Year’s speech to encourage Norwegians to have more children. The reason is that too few children are born in Norway for the Norwegian welfare model to be maintained at its current level. Asking the media to drop cases about voluntarily childless Sp politician in Midt-Telemark, Chase Alexander Jordal, is not satisfied with encouragement. In a chronicle in the culture newspaper Subjekt, he writes that the media should not make stories about young people who tell why they choose not to have children. He believes that a choice about childlessness is unnatural and hostile to life, and that they are extremely dangerous from a societal perspective. – I think the people don’t want to have children for various reasons, but then they say it’s because of the climate. The action you take may be because you don’t feel like it, don’t want to or whatever it may be. Jordal sits on the municipal council and the chairmanship of the Center Party in Midt-Telemark. He believes the politicians have many opportunities to stimulate more child births. In addition, he wants the media not to tell stories about those who choose not to have children. – It can normalize something that is actually not good for society, he believes. Many argue that having many children will put extra stress on the climate because overpopulation of the globe is a major climate problem. He doesn’t believe that. – If you want to make such a sacrifice, you have to sacrifice something you want. I think most people who claim this don’t actually want children because they don’t. Then they explain it as a moral act for the climate. Should the media drop stories about those who choose not to have children? – Do you not respect the choice others make not to have children? – If people choose not to have children because they believe that the children will be born in a world with a climate disaster, or will themselves contribute to increased pollution, then it is hostile to life in the true sense of the word. Voluntary orphan Sanna Kristine Laksholm (26) is one of those who has come forward as a voluntary orphan. She is considering sterilizing herself for the climate. – For my part, it feels wrong to send a person to the world in a world where we do not show clear respect for someone coming after us, she says to news. Sanna Kristine Laksholm (26) wants to sterilize herself for the climate. Photo: Johanna Hauge / news She thinks Jordal’s argument about nation and state is a nationalist approach to the question. – We won’t run out of people in the world. – I would say we are selfish now, and take all the resources. Then he can say that I’m selfish, because I don’t want to worry about my children not having enough resources in the future. – Having children is not a desire of all people Ingrid Liland, deputy head of MDG, also disagrees with the politician in Midt-Telemark. – Politicians should not think about the personal choices people make about having children or not. The politicians’ job is to ensure that we have a nice society for children to grow up in, she says to news. Ingrid Liland, deputy head of MDG, disagrees with Chase Alexander Jordal’s move. Photo: Mari Reisjå / news She believes that politicians must take people’s concerns seriously, without getting involved in their personal choice to have children. Liland thinks it is difficult to see why the media should not tell stories about the topic. – Having children is not a desire of all people in the population, nor is it an option for many. I think the stories of the media help to break down taboos.
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Folkevalt believes that not having children contributes to an anti-life and selfish culture – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
