Sorry I am late to the conversation OP.  What is this "I" you write of if you do not exist?

I had about a week in the hospital recovering from surgery to think about these things, esp since I do not remember anything that happened once I was put on the operating table until I woke up in ICU.   Did I exist during those couple hours?  I had no power to do anything or even think, so if I still existed, what does "I" mean?

Parents of children in poorer countries rely on them as domestic slaves.  The more girls they have, the more boys they can support.    But there is no reason to have children to help you the same way there is no reason to plant trees for CO2 capture - both will be destroyed before they become net positive.