Woman from Bristol Protesting Climate Crisis by Going on ‘Birth Strike’

A Bristol woman is opting to not have children in protest to the current climate crisis. 

Anneka Sutcliffe will appear on new BBC Inside Out West documentary. She speaks of her enormous fear over the fate of the planet, which results in having anxious thoughts and feelings. This is a condition referred to as ‘eco-anxiety.’

Anneka told the BBC: “There are times where I wake up in the night, from a nightmare about a burning forest.

“I feel guilt, shame to be part of the human race knowing that we’ve caused so much destruction and just messed up so badly.”

Anneka will go into detail as to why she has become a ‘birth striker’ when the documentary is shown on Monday, February 17.

“I don’t feel like I can have children given the current state of the world,” she said.

“I used to be a nanny. I absolutely love looking after children and being able to have some inspiration in their lives. It’s devastating to think feel like that choice has been taken away from me.

“There’s no choice available. I can’t have kids knowing what’s coming.”

The BBC also spoke to children as young as 11 concerning their eco-anxiety. Caroline Hickman, a psychotherapist at Bath University, said the condition is affecting more and more children. She added that people with the condition would have appointments every few weeks, but now she has appointments on a daily basis with new patients.