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I read the OP as meaning "rearing children" where it said "having children"; ie, the entire process that occurs from birth rather than the simple biological aspects of it. For many women, being pregnant and giving birth is itself a very powerful and fulfilling experience, but I don't think the OP was describing that so much as what happens afterwards. That it's common doesn't mean that it isn't important, sometimes profoundly so.
It's both powerfully attractive and faulty reasoning to generalize from one's personal experience to everyone (a special case of the "if one, then all" fallacy). Having and rearing a child can be the most fulfilling thing a person can do. So can teaching, writing, sports, exploring other cultures, any of a dozen other things.
A person who has children or has experince with rearing children is going to have first hand knowledge regarding that experience that others are not, this is true, but it does not invalidate the experience of others. Some people may have a good enough knowledge of themselves that they know they would make poor parents--their knowledge of a life without children is a valid one to bring to such a discussion.
One last thing. Passing on genes need not be a goal of having children. I'm sterile, and it doesn't bother me in the least that my genetic line stops with me (though it is truly a shame that my sister can't pass on hers), but I still want to have children, to be a part of a child's life in a way that only a parent (genetic or adoptive) can be. This is not meant to be dismissive of those who choose not to have or rear children, but it is a unique experience that I don't think anything else can really duplicate.
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I'm against ending blackness. I believe that everyone has a right to be black, it's a choice, and I support that.
~Steven Colbert
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