What if I change my mind?
Short answer: I'll adopt.
Long answer: I don't think I will change my mind, but if I do I will adopt a child. This connects to the political and ecological reasons above: there are enough children in this world already consuming resources. Why should I have one myself? The children already on this planet who need a loving family deserve just as much concern as biological offspring. They are just as deserving of love, and who am I to deny a child a good home?
I would rather adopt a child who's already here and in need than produce a new one. My mother was adopted. She was raised in a wonderful, loving family and she never cared to look for her biological mother. To her, her adoptive mother is her mother. Blood isn't a prerequisite for love.
What does my partner think?
Back then, when I actually had one (I'm single now), he didn't object.
Not that it mattered much to me, to be honest. My body, my choice. My desire to get sterilized stemmed not from not having children from him, but from not having children at all. I merely informed him that I had decided that I did not want to bear children and that I was going to seek sterilization.
I have to say that our relationship was already in dire straits back then, so maybe that was a factor in his non-reaction. But even if it had been better, I don't think I would have done anything differently.
Although a potential partner's concerns about wanting children are valid, ultimately, because of all the reasons above, I will not carry children. It is unsafe for me, unsustainable for the planet, and doesn't fit with the plan I have for my life. If my wanting to maintain my health and choose the life I want is selfish, then selfish you can call me.
It's a Valid Choice
Choosing sterilization is as valid as choosing to carry a child to term. As a woman, my worth to the world is not defined by my ability to reproduce. Many of the lingering opinions and resistance from people stem from the idea that women aren't "complete" unless they've had children.
I refuse to play this game. I refuse to let society dictate what I can and can't do with my body. I am a complete and worthy person, with or without offspring.