National Alliance for Optional Parenthood
Encyclopedia
The National Organization for Non-Parents (N.O.N.) was begun in Palo Alto, CA by Ellen Peck
and Shirley Radl in 1972. N.O.N was formed to advance the notion that people could choose not to have children--to be childfree
. Changing its name to The National Alliance for Optional Parenthood, it continued into the early 1980s both as a support group
for those making the decision to be childfree and an advocacy
group fighting pronatalism (attitudes/advertising/etc. promoting or glorifying parenthood). According to its bylaw
s, the purpose of the National Alliance for Optional Parenthood was to educate the public
on non-parenthood as a valid lifestyle option, support those who choose not to have children, promote awareness of the overpopulation
problem, and assist other groups that advanced the goals of the organization.
N.O.N.'s offices were located in Reisterstown, MD; then Baltimore, MD; and, ultimately, in Washington, D.C.
The organization's most widely-distributed publication was "Am I Parent Material?" This publication is still in print and distributed by ETR Associates in Scotts Valley, CA.
NON designated August 1 as Non-Parents' Day.
Some of the early works on non-parenthood/being childfree include:
In 1978, The Pittsburgh Press reported that N.O.N. sponsored a campaign to edit school textbooks and other materials to censor any material "favoring motherhood, the family, or the joy in raising a family."
Ellen Peck
Ellen Peck was an American feminist, writer, and childfree activist.-Early life and career as a "Teen Expert":Born Ellen Remsburg to C. M. and Genevieve Remsburg of Normal, Illinois, Peck attended University High School there and graduated in 1960. She was a high achiever and a standout within her...
and Shirley Radl in 1972. N.O.N was formed to advance the notion that people could choose not to have children--to be childfree
Childfree
Childfree also known as "voluntary childlessness" is a form of childlessness. The term was coined in the English language late in the 20th century and is used to describe people who have made a personal decision not to have children. The term childfree also describes domestic and urban...
. Changing its name to The National Alliance for Optional Parenthood, it continued into the early 1980s both as a support group
Support group
In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic...
for those making the decision to be childfree and an advocacy
Advocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
group fighting pronatalism (attitudes/advertising/etc. promoting or glorifying parenthood). According to its bylaw
Bylaw
By-law can refer to a law of local or limited application passed under the authority of a higher law specifying what things may be regulated by the by-law...
s, the purpose of the National Alliance for Optional Parenthood was to educate the public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
on non-parenthood as a valid lifestyle option, support those who choose not to have children, promote awareness of the overpopulation
Overpopulation
Overpopulation is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. The term often refers to the relationship between the human population and its environment, the Earth...
problem, and assist other groups that advanced the goals of the organization.
N.O.N.'s offices were located in Reisterstown, MD; then Baltimore, MD; and, ultimately, in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The organization's most widely-distributed publication was "Am I Parent Material?" This publication is still in print and distributed by ETR Associates in Scotts Valley, CA.
NON designated August 1 as Non-Parents' Day.
Some of the early works on non-parenthood/being childfree include:
- "The Baby Trap" 1971 by Ellen Peck and William GranzigWilliam GranzigWilliam Granzig, Ph.D., MPH, FAACS is an American sexologist.He is the President and Professor and Dean of Clinical Sexology at Maimonides University in North Miami Beach, Florida. He is the Director and primary professor of the university's sexology program. Dr...
- "Mother's Day is Over" 1973 by Shirley Radl
- "Pronatalism: The Myth of Mom and Apple Pie" 1974 by Ellen Peck and Judith Senderowitz
- "A Baby Maybe" 1975 by Elizabeth Whelan
- "Childless by Choice" 1975 by Jean Veevers
- The Parent Test: How to Measure and Develop Your Talent for Parenthood (ISBN 0399120300)(1978) with by Ellen Peck and William Granzig
In 1978, The Pittsburgh Press reported that N.O.N. sponsored a campaign to edit school textbooks and other materials to censor any material "favoring motherhood, the family, or the joy in raising a family."