Elizabeth Rush has spent her career writing about climate change--her book Rising was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2019. Before Liz made her decision of whether to become a mother, she felt like she needed to go to the end of the world–Antarctica–and stand face to face with a melting glacier. 

In 2019, Liz jumped on a research vessel bound for Thwaites Glacier, with a deep longing to become a mother. She knew that the experience might change that feeling–that maybe, even, the glacier would have a message for her: tell her the best thing she could do for the world was actually sacrifice that longing to have a child.

Mother is a Question is created by Natasha Haverty and Julia Metzger-Traber. 

Our editor is Rob Rosenthal.

Original Music by Raky Sastri and Julia Read; other music by APM

Manager of The Big Questions Project: Courtney Fleurantin

Coordinating Producer: Emmanuel Desarme

Post-Production: Sandra Lopez-Monsalve

Executive Producer: Genevieve Sponsler

Art by Richard Gray

The Quickening by Elizabeth Rush