Regarding the reactions to Gaelen Gates' letter: one point is that each of the responders failed to address the long-term sustainablity of Earth's environment with an exploding human population and corresponding lowering of the quality of life. AS Paul Ehrlich has pointed out and with doubling of the population in forty years, current population growth rates are not sustainable and will cause irrevocable damage to the planet. We must think beyond our own personal wants and attitudes or else we are doomed. We,as citizens of the world, are in denial of the grave danger we are in and get bogged down in petty arguments such as if we are better people with or without children. .