With regards to developed countries? It actually makes the news occasionally.

There are 8 billion people on the planet, but if we stop having kids the situation is unlikely to sustain itself for more than 100 years or so (just stopping for 40 or 50 years is long enough to pass the point no return).

I agree that it's relative, it was the point. The parent asserted that not having children is somehow a better or smarter thing to do. It isn't, in the long run we're all dead, but children make grownups feel human and not just like a cog in some pointless machine.

And it's wonderful that you can make that choice.

Now imagine you couldn't. Imagine someone wanted children but was forced not to? How would that be different than forcing you to have (and pay for) children?