Woman Born Into Poverty Believes The Requirements To Adopt A Child Should Apply To People Who Wish To Have Their Own
She claimed that low-income parents are doing a disservice to their kids by bringing them into a world of poverty.
Ground Picture | Shutterstock A woman who was born into poverty admitted that through her childhood experiences, she developed an unpopular opinion about finances and parenthood.
In a TikTok video, a woman named Avia claimed that having children should be more of an in-depth process than it actually is and that individuals in certain economic situations should not be able to have kids and start families.
The woman said the requirements for adopting a child should apply to people who wish to have their own.
"Poor people shouldn't be able to have kids, and there should also be some sort of mental evaluation process to see if you're qualified to have children," Avia declared in her video.
"I think the same requirements that are put in place to adopt a child should be put in place to have your own."
The woman said intentionally having children when you can't afford to properly provide for them is abuse.
Avia explained that as a child born to parents in extreme poverty, she insisted that it's cruel to bring a child into this world when you don't have the means to take care of yourself, much less another human being.
She claimed that to exist in a low-income household and still want to have children, knowing that you can't adequately take care of them, is a form of abuse.
"To bring a child into this world when you are not financially stable is automatically putting them in a deficit. They are born into a deficit," Avia argued.
"I love my parents to death, and I know that I chose them, and they chose me. Our souls chose each other to guide us through this lifetime."
However, despite how much Avia appreciated her parents and their unconditional love, she always told herself that no matter how much money she earned and how accomplished she became in life, all of that money and success would go toward making sure that she fixed her parents' mistakes.
Putting financial restrictions on parenthood ignores the fact that poverty is a systemic issue.
It's one thing to demand that people who want to be parents should go through some sort of mental evaluation before they have children, which could be beneficial for couples who might be planning for a family. There's definitely merit in being able to work through your past traumas through therapy so that once you have a child, you can be the best version of yourself as a parent.
However, it's another thing to completely shun poverty-stricken people from having children because, by that logic, we're ignoring that poverty is a systemic issue.
Poverty is often caused by deeply ingrained structures and inequalities within a society. Most people born into poverty don't have the resources to help themselves get out of it.
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According to data released by The U.S. Department of Agriculture, raising a child born in 2022 from birth through age 17 is estimated to be $288,094. That astronomical figure isn't attainable for most middle-class households, let alone those living in poverty. By Avia's logic, parenthood should be a gift only afforded to the wealthy, considering our current economy.
In recent years, having children has become somewhat of a status symbol of wealth and prosperity in the same way as a Birkin bag differentiates the haves from the have-nots. But, just like the designer does not dictate taste, the wealth of the parent does not determine the quality of the parenting.
Financial stability is not always guaranteed, and two people choosing to have a child are unable to foresee how future challenges could make that difficult. Instead of placing restrictions on poor people, we should be turning our attention to the systems in place.
We should be urging our politicians and government to implement better resources for low-income families. At the end of the day, low-income individuals shouldn't have to compromise on things that are a fundamental part of human existence, including having a family. It's a dangerous concept, and it sets a dangerous precedent.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.