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.

You're already assuming the premise is worth debating. It isn't. Calling childlessness "selfish" requires ignoring what selfish actually means, you can't be selfish by refusing to create a dependent who doesn't exist yet. The real selfishness is having children for ego, legacy, or social validation while ignoring overpopulation, climate collapse, and resource scarcity. Choosing not to have kids might be the opposite of selfish, it's restraint. A choice made consciously about your own life isn't selfish, it's honest. So before we continue, tell me, what makes a personal reproductive decision about your own body and future inherently selfish?