The mother of an Indian man who is suing his parents because he "didn't consent to being born" has allegedly spoken out, claiming she "admires" her son.
In a post on social media, Raphael Samuel claimed his mother had named him a "fearless, independent thinking young man" and stated that if her son could come up with "a rational explanation as to how we could have sought his consent to be born", she would accept her fault.
The 27-year-old attracted public attention earlier this month when he stated that, despite having a "great relationship" with his parents, he planned to sue them for bringing him into the world without his consent.
He defines himself as an 'anti-natalist', a group that argue having children is putting a massive strain on the Earth’s resources and people should avoid procreation for environmental reasons.
Today, Raphael labelled a post on his Facebook page "The mother speaks!" and claimed it had been written by his mum, Kavita Karnad Samuel.
It read:
"I'm Raphael's mother and this is my response to the recent upheaval my son has created.
1. I must admire my son's temerity to want to take his parents to court knowing both of us are lawyers.
2. 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.
3. The media has focussed on a sliver of what Raphael believes in. 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.
"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."
The post was not met warmly online, with many Facebook users taking to the comment section to pour scorn on Kavita's statement, naming her son an "attention seeker".
In an interview with The Print last week, Raphael, who is from Mumbai, India, claimed he wanted "to tell all Indian kids that they don’t owe their parents anything".
He said: "I love my parents, and we have a great relationship. But they had me for their joy and their pleasure. My life has been amazing, but I don't see why I should put another life through the rigmarole of school and finding a career, especially when they didn't ask to exist."
Anti-natalists believe that life which has not given its consent to live should not be brought into the world and want to spread awareness about child-free living, particularly in India where there is a massive stigma put on people who don't choose to procreate.
"This is a completely voluntary, non-violent movement," activist Pratima Naik, who created the Facebook page Childfree India, said. "We don’t want to impose our beliefs on anyone, but more people need to consider why having a child in the world right now isn’t right."
In a post on the page, Naik asked:
"Should we continue to bring more children in this world and accelerate the process of environmental and social degradation? Do you think existence is pain, and not bringing a child into this world, is a guaranteed way to avoid unnecessary suffering to the child? Do you agree that Childfree lifestyle is in line with feminism, efilism, animal rights and other similar perspectives?"
He continued:
"We have been ignoring such important and tough questions, for a very long time! If you support this line of thought or sympathise with it, WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT. We are a group of people who have decided not to reproduce. We are Childfree Indians! We want to spread awareness about being Childfree."
