John Reid’s announcement earlier this year that all PCTs should offer at least one full cycle of IVF treatment by April 2005, caused much debate as to whether this type of elective treatment should be available on the NHS.  Even the traditionally nuclear-family-friendly Telegraph readership was evenly split on the question, with 46 per cent of readers believing that the NHS cannot afford to provide IVF. 
For Kidding Aside, The British Childfree Association, the desperation felt by many people who find they cannot conceive, raises a key issue about what constitutes a family.

“The government seems incapable of understanding the real issue here, which is the constant pressure to have children. It is no wonder that many infertile people go to huge lengths to try to conceive, when there is so much pressure from society to have children in order to be a ‘real’ family”, said Jonathan McCalmont, chairman of Kidding Aside.

“What the government should be doing, is promoting the fact that in a country whose total population continues to increase as a result of an expanding elderly population, NOT having children is a positive and responsible lifestyle that should be encouraged.”

The childfree of Britain are becoming a sizeable group – one that is starting to rebel against legislative changes giving preference to parents of young children.  The reasons why people choose to be childfree are many and various, from the often quoted “career before parenting” choice, to a belief that that they wouldn’t be good parents, financial pressures, or because they have chosen a lifestyle that would be incompatible with caring for children.

If there is one thing that is bound to rise the hackles of the childfree, it is being asked “don’t you want to have a family?”

“I find it so insulting”, says Maggie Robinson (42). “I have a partner, parents, siblings, nephews, etc.  In what way is that not a family?”

With 16 to 25 per cent of western couples now choosing not to have children, it seems that more and more people are opting to be part of the childfree family.