Children of Men
The children of men novel centers on the effects of mass infertility by trying to bring out the pain caused by infertility and helping to understand infertility in detail. The novel also tries to show that humanity is nothing without the future, which is slowly losing its meaning due to increased mass infertility. That is why the novel paints a very bleak and disturbing picture of the near future, which is being pushed towards extinction by mass bareness and social disturbance. In this novel, we learn that infertility levels are so high to a point where the feminist civil war breaks out, and the future of humankind is now in limbo as it faces imminent extinction. Infertility is a very heartbreaking experience for many people, and it should not lead to people facing despisement in the communities but instead should be treated equally as everyone else. The following paragraphs are going to address the issue of infertility as well as give quotes from The Children of Men novel concerning its view on the subject of infertility.
Infertility, therefore, is defined as the inability to conceive in a period of at least one year though there have been regular intercourse without using contraceptives. The novel quotes that “Man is diminished if he lives without knowledge of his past; without hope of a future he becomes a beast.” (James, 97). This proves the point that our future is something of much importance though it is fading away due to the rise in infertility. In order to learn about this issue, we look into the life of a couple that had lots of problems in conceiving their first child. This couple ends up looking for teachings from the Catholic Church on fertility methods. That was when Kate Moss Romero (the wife) comes to learn of all the teachings based on her study on the Pope, thus clearing her mind and removing all her doubts on the issue of ever having a child. From this, we learn that people should turn to Churches for open talks on infertility by getting competent people who understand the subject of infertility (Ruhi-López, 40). The other issue being portrayed is that of trying to seek medical assistance from doctors to try and acquire treatment in maybe fixing the fertility problem. There are lots of arguments on whether this act of involving third parties is acceptable or not. This is trough laboratory procedures of fertilization such as vitro insemination and other types of treatment. It is argued that it’s not a treatment because it does not help in healing the medical issues that cause infertility therefore considered immoral. Other related ethical problems include those of embryo creation in labs. However, it should be noted that infertility probably results from disorders that disrupt the ovarian and uterine functions. Therefore, treatment should be given to try and treat the essential reason for infertility. On the other hand, we also learn that increased conceiving increases the population, and that is why the novel backs it up by saying that “we were polluting the planet with our numbers; if we were breeding less it was to be welcomed.” (James, 153).
Infertility has lots of invincible pains resulting from it. These pains are the ones that bring us to our other issue on sterility, which is the lack of good people in society to talk to regarding those issues (Dworkin-McDaniel, 86). The problem results from people not being open to the infertility matter because there are very few people who talk about it. However, this issue can be resolved by people being more open towards infertility and helping the affected by giving them a back to turn to when they are facing problems or need to talk to someone. That is why many end up losing hope in life, and we find a character by the name of Jasper from The Children of Men who supports the argument by saying, “so why bother if life’s gonna make its own choices?” (James, 126). Therefore, we should learn to support our fellow members of the community so that they can’t lose hope in life. The other kind of invincible pain being experienced is that of people not believing that infertility is a real thing and end up thinking of it as a taboo. This is so heartbreaking when we find one being discriminated against only because they are infertile. That is why we even see the author in the novel Children of Men stating, “This planet is doomed anyway. Eventually the sun will explode or cool and one small insignificant particle of the universe will disappear with only a tremble (James, 89).” This is probably due to the many evils that are in the world and our societies at large.
Majority of the people with infertility, later on, turn into adoption as the best means of getting the child that they have been longing for. Adoption is also said to a very incredible and better option, which most certainly needs to be prayed for. From Romero’s case, we also learn that this adoption method comes with a lot of problems as it is costly to adopt a child due to the lengthy procedures, and it also comes with lots of myths from the society. However, it still should not be forgotten that life can still be fruitful and better without children. It should also not be forgotten that infertility is a problem that gets worse with age and that it can be both in men and females. This case is true because there are about 7 to 10 percent of men that are infertile and a 20 percent situation that both partners are infertile.
Moreover, it should be noted that infertility is not permanent, and when treated properly, it can be cured. This is clear from Romero, who, after taking the right treatment, was able to conceive their first child. Therefore, one should not live discouraged forever, as this problem can is treatable. The novel Children of Men also highlights the case of infertility in men, whereby we learn that the males’ sperm count has plummeted to zero, and that is why they undergo checkups for sperm count to keep their hopes alive. That is why we should never assume the purpose of nature for humankind. The novel explains this by quoting, “We should not, perhaps, assume that nature has a purpose.” Therefore every mankind should work hard on the infertility issue by all means both the males and the females.
In conclusion, one can say that infertility is not a thing that should be looked down upon by people in the community, but rather the infertile should also be treated the same as everyone else in the society. People should also learn to try and protect humanity from extinction because a man without any hope of a future is like a beast. That is why it should be noted that seeking medical assistance on the issue of infertility is not a bad thing because, in most cases, help is found, and someone can regain his/her fertility back.
Works Cited
James, Phyllis Dorothy. The children of men. Vintage, 2010.
Ruhi-López, Angelique. “Understanding Infertility.” Catholic Digest, vol. 77, no. 2, Feb. 2013,
- 40. EBSCOhost,
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Dworkin-McDaniel, Norine. “The Invisible Pain of Infertility.” Redbook, vol. 217, no. 5, Nov.
2011, p. 86. EBSCOhost,
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hio&db=f5h&AN=70287680&site=ehost-live&scope=site.