A 27 year old Indian man, Raphael Samuel is set to embark on an
impossible mission of dragging his parents to court for giving birth to
him without his consent.
impossible mission of dragging his parents to court for giving birth to
him without his consent.
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| Raphael Samuel |
The Mumbai-based business executive told the BBC that he has been
obsessed with the question of why his parents felt entitled to bring him
into this world without first asking him.
obsessed with the question of why his parents felt entitled to bring him
into this world without first asking him.
Although he admits it is practically impossible to ask a child for
consent before they are born, Samuel insists children should not be born
at all.
consent before they are born, Samuel insists children should not be born
at all.
Samuel said, “There’s no point to humanity. So many people are
suffering. If humanity is extinct, Earth and animals would be happier.
They’ll certainly be better off. Also no human will then suffer. Human
existence is totally pointless”.
suffering. If humanity is extinct, Earth and animals would be happier.
They’ll certainly be better off. Also no human will then suffer. Human
existence is totally pointless”.
His activism is propelled by anti-natalism – a philosophy that argues
that life is so full of misery that people should stop procreating
immediately, one which he says he had held since he was five.
that life is so full of misery that people should stop procreating
immediately, one which he says he had held since he was five.
“I was a normal kid. One day I was very frustrated and I didn’t want
to go to school but my parents kept asking me to go. So I asked them:
‘Why did you have me?’ And my dad had no answer. I think if he’d been
able to answer, maybe I wouldn’t have thought this way,” Samuel said.
to go to school but my parents kept asking me to go. So I asked them:
‘Why did you have me?’ And my dad had no answer. I think if he’d been
able to answer, maybe I wouldn’t have thought this way,” Samuel said.
His mum, Kavita Karnad Samuel responding in a statement said, “I must
admire my son’s temerity to want to take his parents to court knowing
both of us are lawyers. And if Raphael could come up with a rational
explanation as to how we could have sought his consent to be born, I
will accept my fault.
admire my son’s temerity to want to take his parents to court knowing
both of us are lawyers. And if Raphael could come up with a rational
explanation as to how we could have sought his consent to be born, I
will accept my fault.
“His belief in anti-natalism, his concern for the burden on Earth’s
resources due to needless life, his sensitivity toward the pain
experienced unwittingly by children while growing up and so much more
has been ruefully forgotten.
resources due to needless life, his sensitivity toward the pain
experienced unwittingly by children while growing up and so much more
has been ruefully forgotten.
“I’m very happy that my son has grown up into a fearless,
independent-thinking young man. He is sure to find his path to
happiness.”
independent-thinking young man. He is sure to find his path to
happiness.”
Samuel created a Facebook page to advance his cause a year ago.
The page called Nihilanand has messages such as “Isn’t forcing a
child into this world and forcing it to have a career, kidnapping, and
slavery?”, “Your parents had you instead of a toy or a dog, you owe them
nothing, and you are their entertainment.”
child into this world and forcing it to have a career, kidnapping, and
slavery?”, “Your parents had you instead of a toy or a dog, you owe them
nothing, and you are their entertainment.”
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