# Do you have a right to reproduce? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 4, 2012, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-right-to-reproduce/642968 "2012-12-04T16:30:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![lawbuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@lawbuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawbuff)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-right-to-reproduce/642968/41 "2012-12-07T18:37:05Z")
edited. Case law posted already. missed it. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-right-to-reproduce/642968/42 "2012-12-07T20:59:52Z")
China’s one-child policy has problems of its own. Since families can only have one child, they tend to hold out for a male child. Over the past couple of years there has been a lot of talk about how that is creating an imbalance in the M-F population ratio. Know one knows what the long-term implications might be, but my fraternity days showed me that no good comes from having a large population of young males who can’t get laid. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2012, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-right-to-reproduce/642968/43 "2012-12-08T05:51:47Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > It all depends on where you think we rights are derived from. Me, I think all rights are social constructs, so it’s up to us to determine that and I vote “yes”. I have a lot more fear of a government telling us if we can reproduce than I do of an overpopulated planet. You ever read “bio of a space tyrant” They chemically sterilized everyone on welfare. > [@John\_Mace](#): > > Let 'em try. I have enough faith in our democracy that the people would let no such law stand. The one child policy in China (afaict) doesn’t result in the government tying someone down and forcing an abortion on them. It just has severe penalties associated with having more than one child (the second child is not eligible for any state benefits so you are paying out of pocket, it is seen as somewhat unpatriotic so even if you do have the money people really resent you for having that second child). In the states there have been at least a couple of attempts to limit welfare benefits from a third child. ---
**Author:** ![Bremidon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@Bremidon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bremidon)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-right-to-reproduce/642968/44 "2012-12-08T16:55:20Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > China’s one-child policy has problems of its own. Since families can only have one child, they tend to hold out for a male child. Over the past couple of years there has been a lot of talk about how that is creating an imbalance in the M-F population ratio. Know one knows what the long-term implications might be, but my fraternity days showed me that no good comes from having a large population of young males who can’t get laid. China has another big problem: they are going to become top-heavy (and not in a Dolly sort of way). \*On a side note: I’m now singing “It’s a Jolly Dolly Christmas.” Please make it stop. Soon the social net in China is going to become very expensive indeed. Social unrest has been slowly ratcheting up over the last two decades. No idea how they are going to solve this one. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-right-to-reproduce/642968/45 "2012-12-08T17:34:00Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > You [sure](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_castration#United_States) about that? Not that I agree with either, but chemical castration as punishment for a crime is a far cry from forcibly sterilizing a young girl because she got pregnant and has an allegedly low IQ. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-right-to-reproduce/642968/46 "2012-12-08T18:50:31Z")
If I have a **right** to reproduce, would a suitable young lady present herself? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-right-to-reproduce/642968/47 "2012-12-08T18:55:44Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > The one child policy in China (afaict) doesn’t result in the government tying someone down and forcing an abortion on them. It just has severe penalties associated with having more than one child (the second child is not eligible for any state benefits so you are paying out of pocket, it is seen as somewhat unpatriotic so even if you do have the money people really resent you for having that second child). In the states there have been at least a couple of attempts to limit welfare benefits from a third child. They don’t force you to have an abortion, they just make life a living hell for you if you don’t, and encourage infanticide in a culture that values boy babies more than girls. At any rate, China isn’t a Western Democracy, so it really doesn’t have anything to do with what I posted. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-right-to-reproduce/642968/48 "2012-12-08T21:04:44Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Not that I agree with either, but chemical castration as punishment for a crime is a far cry from forcibly sterilizing a young girl because she got pregnant and has an allegedly low IQ. In other words, punishment for a crime can take away many of your fundamental rights such as your liberty, property, and even your life. I don’t think chemical castration as a punishment for rape is anywhere close to a eugenics program.. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-right-to-reproduce/642968.md?page=2)