Paying for Children

I recently read an article in the Guardian which cited research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation which suggested that a couple with two children now needs to earn £40,600 for an 'acceptable standard' of living, in the UK.

The Guardian posted this article to Facebook, where the masses began to comment on it.  Many of the comments took one of the following two forms (I'm paraphrasing, but not exaggerating):

1. "If people can't pay for their children, they shouldn't have them."
2. "I have five children and a mortgage, my wife has no job, I earn £27,000 per year.  It's a hard life, but we're happy."

Both of these amused me (although not enough that I was able to doubt their severity).

The first charge I find morally problematic.  I made the following comment:

"Suppose, aged 30, I earn £40,600. I decide to have two children. By the age of 40, I have lost my job and had to change career, now earning £25,000. I can no longer afford to keep my children in an 'acceptable' condition. By what I'm reading above, I would be criticised for having children I couldn't afford. Does this not strike as a problem?"

I also responded to the second, but only by posting a video, as it reminded me of the Four Yorkshiremen sketch, courtesy of Monty Python!