Speaking of the US alone, which already has an incredibly stigma on relying on handouts, those programs can be tricky to qualify for. A couple with one child ca

Speaking of the US alone, which already has an incredibly stigma on relying on handouts, those programs can be tricky to qualify for. A couple with one child can only qualify for WIC with an household income under 45k in California. But stepping back, I think you are missing the forest for the trees here. I don't think people are actively abstaining from having children like the OP is, but I don't think you are treating people as capable of making responsible, informed decisions. How do you arrive at the calculus that, in the US, someone would desperately desire children so much that they would opt to go on government assistance? Who is that person to you?