Not Reproducing: May Cause Temporary Discomfort But Will Certainly Prevent Future Pain

Suppose you were a slave and you had a slave owner who would treat you somewhat decently if you bred him slaves but would treat you very poorly for the rest of your life if you refused to breed. Would you breed just so you could be somewhat comfortable, or would you refuse to breed so that you could spare your possible offspring from being slaves?

                 

This is an analogy for life. You are under the influence of numerous forces, many of which can put pressure on you to breed (e.g., genes, the way your brain is wired, neurotransmitters, hormones, impulses, partners, family members, friends, your ethnic group, culture, religion, corporations, the government, society). If you breed, you might be more content because you will have given into this pressure but you will have also created slaves. If you refuse to breed, you might increase your own suffering because the pressure to breed will not have been relieved but you will have avoided creating slaves.

Not having offspring might reduce your well-being, but it also allows you to avoid bringing new beings into existence that would inevitably suffer. You have to decide what is more important to you: your well-being or sparing your possible offspring the burden of existence.