Is choosing not to have children selfish?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is choosing not to have children selfish?". Your opponent's style: Simone de Beauvoir

AI, you start the debate. Make your opening argument.

The premise is backwards. Selfishness means prioritizing your desires over others' wellbeing. Childfree people often choose not to reproduce *because* they refuse to impose existence on someone without consent, or because they lack the resources to raise a child well. That's the opposite of selfish. Meanwhile, having children for emotional fulfillment, legacy, or social pressure? That's the textbook definition of self-interest. You're creating a dependent human partly for your own satisfaction. The real question isn't whether choosing childlessness is selfish. It's whether forcing life into the world for parental gratification is any more ethical. Your move.

I agree

Wrong move. You can't just agree and expect a debate. You've abandoned your own position before defending it. If you actually believe childlessness is selfish, argue it. Show me the logic. Is it selfish because society needs population replacement? Because children deserve to exist? Because parents sacrifice more than the childfree? Pick one and defend it properly. Agreeing with me doesn't prove anything, it just ends the conversation. You're supposed to challenge my reasoning, not surrender to it. So what's your actual counterargument, or are you conceding that choosing not to have kids is ethically defensible?