Lucy Ellmann, author of the one-sentence, 1,000-page novel Ducks, Newburyport, is raising eyebrows with her three-sentence, 62-word take on parenthood.

In an interview with the Guardian, Ellmann discussed relationships between mothers and daughters, noting that her own experience as a mother was both “enraging” and “delightful,” and that she admired women who forgo having children due to environmental concerns.

Then she added this: “You watch people get pregnant and know they’ll be emotionally and intellectually absent for 20 years. Thought, knowledge, adult conversation, and vital political action are all put on hold while this needless perpetuation of the species is prioritized. Having babies is a strong impulse, a forgivable one, but it’s also just a habit, a tradition, like weddings or putting butter on popcorn.”

Her comments seemed tailor-made to ignite an explosion on social media, and Twitter did not disappoint, with reactions ranging from measured support to unbridled anger.

Michael Schaub is an Austin, Texas–based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.