There are no stupid questions, just stupid people. The nonsensical ideas and statements that have been made during humanity’s time on Earth are countless times more numerous than the stars. We all hear idiotic ideas every day, whether from politicians or from friends sitting at the bar discussing their theory to survive on only beer and vodka for 30 days. Some people take these ideas to a level beyond regular stupidity.

Toni Vernelli got an abortion 10 years ago. Now, this has nothing to do with whether I agree with abortion. Cast aside any thoughts of me being anti-abortion because that is not the point – the subject is why she got the abortion. Vernelli claims she got the abortion and was sterilized because “having children is selfish.”

Say what now?

Having a child is probably one of the more selfless things someone can do. Besides the money it takes to raise a kid to 18, parents spend a large amount of time caring for their children.

The reason Vernelli, who works with an environmental charity, largely thinks it is selfish is because “it’s all about maintaining your genetic line at the expense of the planet.” Some people might think of having children as their legacy, but I would venture to guess there are a lot of people do not consider that even a factor. Nothing is that black and white.

Sara Irving, who shares the award with Vernelli, was also sterilized because “a baby would pollute the planet.” In this line of thinking, Irving may want to look into euthanasia because she is polluting the planet a vast amount more than a few dirty diapers. Not only is she hurting the planet, but she is polluting the realm of ideas with immense stupidity. It is probably best she does not reproduce because she would be polluting the gene pool and, to be honest, it is in dire straits as it is.

The reason this way of thinking is so absurd is because if everyone followed this set of ideas, humanity would cease to exist. Albeit there would not be human pollution, there would also be no one to enjoy it until the next animal evolved to reign supreme. The idea flies in the face of evolution and the survival instinct. In a way, it also encourages suicide and maybe even genocide – although you would have to take the idea to an extreme. The way I see it however, is that Vernelli and Irving may see genocidal maniacs such as Hitler and former Rwanda president Habyarimana as environmentalists along with the likes of Henry David Thoreau and Theodore Roosevelt. They were getting rid of (in Vernelli’s idea of thinking) pollution as well, were they not?

There is even a movement called the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement. Les Knight started the vhemt.org to help spread the philosophy the human species should “live long and die out.” The movement enforces the idea that humanity as a whole should stop breeding so we may become extinct because “Phasing out the human race by voluntarily ceasing to breed will allow Earth’s biosphere to return to good health.”

While it is a cute idea to want the animals to be happy and live in harmony, it is at the expense of our species that has taken millions of years to evolve into what we are today. While there are problems with the environment, as there will always be when technology is harnessed, fixing them by causing humanity to go extinct is beyond any sort of reason. The easiest way for these people to stop polluting the environment using their brilliant, Earth friendly ideas is if they practiced euthanasia.

Ted Hamilton is a senior magazine journalism major and a columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].