Parental Stress Is Urgent Health Issue (and a Valid Reason to Remain Childfree)

Earlier this week, a Surgeon General's advisory on "Parental Mental Health & Well-Being" prompted CNN to report:

Parents in the United States are overwhelmed and burned out with the “dizzying pace” of the world, and it’s a public health concern, according to a surgeon general’s advisory released Wednesday that calls for shifts in policy and cultural norms.

[...] The advisory cited a 2023 survey of adults from the American Psychological Association that found 33% of parents reported high levels of stress in the past month compared with 20% of other adults.

[...] “The stress and mental health challenges faced by parents — just like loneliness, workplace well-being and the impact of social media on youth mental health — aren’t always visible, but they can take a steep toll,” Murthy wrote in a guest essay in the New York Times. “It’s time to recognize they constitute a serious public health concern for our country. Parents who feel pushed to the brink deserve more than platitudes. They need tangible support.”

Zero Kids Zero Regrets fully and resoundingly endorses meaningful policy changes to support people who choose to parent and their children.

We also want to validate the notion that choosing to remain childfree in a culture without that support is a legitimate choice.

No one should have to justify why they don't choose to parent, anyway, but this — this lack of institutional support that creates undue pressure and enormous stress on parents — is a good enough reason. 

It's not just a valid reason, but a deeply rational one.

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