There is, I think, a solution to almost every problem. The caveat is that you might not like the solution.
What if a couple had to be licensed to have children? No license, you don’t get to keep the child - (s)he is transferred to an agency for adoption. No fines, no court appeals, nothing will change this verdict.
Here are the pros:
No children raised by people who are unable to be parents.
The problem discussed in a couple of threads, where one of the two parents does not want children, would be solved. If both parents do not want a child, no license.
Here are the questions:
How would this licensing be decided? Is there a way to avoid making this licensing depend on conformity to certain cultural values that may not have anything to do with good parenting? Or fashionable theories that won’t hold water in 1 or 10 years? And is corruption in this system inevitable?
Are the problems of children raised by agencies worse than the problems of children raised by bad parents?
Where’s the money going to come from? Licensing fees in part?
I do think that there are some decisions that are too important to be entrusted to every individual parent. The state happens to agree with me on many points - mandatory education, for example. I think that the decision to become a parent at all is another decision where you can’t trust just anyone - for such an important job, the qualifications are just an egg and a few cc of semen.
Is there anybody else, though, who can be trusted with that decision of who becomes parents? Or am I drawing up a blueprint for a statist nightmare?
Yes, you’re drawing up a bluebrint for some sort of fascist nightmare. It isn’t up to you, the government, or society to tell me and someone else that we can’t have a child together. I find the idea of wanting to make parental license a reality to be disgusting.
I’m all for parental liscensing as long as I get to set the standards
Otherwise, it’s an obtrusive overbearing government.
There is some legal precedent however. If someone molests or beats children they could have their children taken away. I wonder though, if there’s anything to stop them from having more kids later on though? If the kids could get taken away regardless of whether or not new instances of abuse have been shown, isn’t this tantamount to requiring a licence? Basically it would be a licence which the application simply consisted of a background check to make sure that you have not committed any offenses that would already have your children taken away.
It’s one thing for the state to identify people who are unable to safely care for their children and remove children from custody, and something completely different to “deny all” up front and force people to get a license. What if it’s an unplanned pregnancy (as many are), and the paperwork gets muffed up? I don’t get my child?
I second the idea that this is an abhorrent concept in the extreme.
This is a case where the action is based on past actions, not failure to meet some arbitrary criteria for a license.
“When babies are outlawed, only outlaws will have babies.”
I think we should take it to the next level, and only give reproductive licenses to attractive, intelligent couples. I’m tired of seeing stupid and/or ugly people having children. Why put your kids through the kind of tortured existence of being stupid and ugly?
I’ve always liked the idea of all people being fitted at birth with a foolproof birthcontrol device (I know nothing is foolproof, but this is MY fantasy).
In order to have children, the parents would have to prove their fitness (emotional, financial etc). Then the birth control device would be removed.
The standards wouldn’t be rediculously high. Folks wouldn’t have to be rich or perfect. Just not obviously unfit.
Before you bother telling me, I KNOW this is totally unconstitutional and impractical in real life. But in my ideal fantasy, this is how it would work.
I’m gonna do the most newbie thing I could possibly do. I’m gonna do my
200TH POST!!! TWO HUNDRED!!! YIPPIE!!! LOOK AT ME!!!
on a pretty unproductive thread, and just to say
LOL, nicely done with the outlaws/babies line! And KneadtoKnow, ME TOO, that’s just what I was thinking! And just to have a third thing to say, “Godspeed Arnold Winkelreid!” or whatever they came up with last month.
Whew, now that that’s over, I can keep posting as normal.
If clichés are outlawed, only outlaws will have clichés!
(just kidding, not mocking you, i just like that line!)
A basic parenting course in school would probably help, we should do that instead of most of health class, which was basically “wash your hands” and for two weeks:“sex is okay, but never do it”
