Anti-Baby Zealot Blows Up IVF Clinic, Accidentally Becoming the Attack's Only Casualty

Yahoo

23-05-2025

The second decade of the 21st century has given us a treasure trove of bonkers ideologies and obsessive subcultures. From Marc Andreessen's fanatic Techno-Optimists to the violent rationalist sect of the Zizians, would-be cultists are spoiled for choice in 2025.
Now, it seems there's a new one on the scene: the self-described "pro-mortalists."
The philosopher Thaddeus Metz, at the University of Pretoria, describes pro-mortalism as the "view that it is often prudent for individuals to kill themselves and often right for them to kill others, even without their consent."
On its own, pro-mortalism isn't really viewed as a developed ideology. Rather, it's an idea stemming from a fringe philosophy known as "negative utilitarianism," the principle that we should limit human suffering while maximizing pleasure.
That sounds lovely on paper. But in practice, critics of negative utilitarianism like Metz highlight its tendency to lead to anti-natalism — the extremist view that it's wrong to bring new life into the world — and pro-mortalism.
The two ideas seem to be used interchangeably by forum philosophers and YouTube theorists, though anti-natalism once had a decent following on Reddit, whose discussions centered around the ethics of bringing children into the world without their consent.
Among its pro-mortalism's acolytes was Guy Edward Bartkus, the 25-year-old man who recently carried out a terrorist attack on a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California.
Late last Saturday, Bartkus detonated a car bomb outside of the American Reproductive Centers building, an in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic — a medical practice that helps people get pregnant using various biotech tricks, basically — east of Los Angeles.
Bartkus died while attempting to record and upload the attack, while four others were injured, according to NBC. The clinic's embryos were undamaged, and IVF treatment is reportedly continuing this week.
Though his footage didn't make it to the web, authorities found writings as well as a pro-mortalism website that are shedding light on Bartkus' radical anti-life beliefs. "Welcome! Here, you can download the recorded stream of my suicide and bombing of an IVF clinic!" the website greets.
In a section labeled "possible FAQs," Bartkus makes his case for pro-mortalism, addressing the audience he seemed to anticipate would flock to his site after the attack.
"Understand your death is already a guarantee, and you can thank your parents for that one," Bartkus wrote. "All a pro-mortalist is saying is let's make it happen sooner rather than later (and preferably peaceful rather than some disease or accident), to prevent your future suffering, and, more importantly, the suffering your existence will cause to all the other sentient beings."
Bartkus is notably cautious to distance himself from nihilism — an older and better-established school of thought — calling pro-mortalism the "polar opposite" of that "nonsense."
Instead, he claims the suicide of a fellow negative utilitarian friend sent him over the edge.
Meanwhile, questions have been raised online regarding an alleged FBI presence in the town of Twentynine Palms where the suicide bomber lived, in the days leading up to the explosion.
When a KESQ 3 reporter asked if the FBI could confirm the presence of federal agents in Twentynine Palms prior to the bombing, a spokesman said he "cannot," before abruptly ending the twenty-minute press conference.
Local police Chief Andy Mills also revealed that Bartkus was "chatting with people in online groups, in online forums, as well as posting stuff on YouTube where he was experimenting with different types of explosive materials," but added that he was "very confident" Barkus acted alone.
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