"Every time I read about couples like this I remember the little old ladies in the nursing homes I have visited who never had any children and have to rely on that lone nephew who lives 1,500 miles away for a family connection."
Oh, I don't know. My wife and I have no children by our own choice. We're providing for ourselves, and will continue to do so. However, our family is large and strong, on both sides. We're favorites of our nieces, nephews and, now, a few grandnieces and nephews. We're not so stupid, though, as to assume they'll take care of us in our old age. We're doing that for ourselves.
Deciding not to have children is not necessarily a selfish choice at all. For many people, having children is a bad idea, medically and genetically. Since you don't know anything about my wife and I and our decision, making any statement at all about us would be presumptuous and wrong.
Quite a few people on this thread have said that their idea that people who choose not to have children are selfish excludes parents whose decisions are based on medical or genetic reasons.
Now don't get me wrong. My parents love helping them. They spend their day going to church in the morning, visiting their own grandchildren and taking care of little old ladies.
I am making no judgement in this matter. I am just stating an observation.