I originally posted a version of the story below to the Reddit’s forum, r/fencesitter, for people “on the fence” about having children. A raw, vulnerable discussion followed, then several commenters and I were permanently banned from the sub with no explanation.

When I was born, there were about 2.5 billion people on this planet. In the span of my lifetime (I am now 70), that number has tripled. That is astounding. When I entered reproductive age, I made the decision that if I could do nothing else, I could at least not contribute to that astronomical growth.