# Should having children be a right?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-having-children-be-a-right/18981>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [May 9, 2000, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-having-children-be-a-right/18981 "2000-05-09T02:23:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 7

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2000, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-having-children-be-a-right/18981/121 "2000-05-24T20:48:17Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*\*  
> dancing dangerously off topic:
> 
> I doubt that there were any child molesters in the wagon trains. Probably no rapists on Columbus’ ships. Challenge and risks are unattractive to scum like that.  
> \*\*

joining you off topic:

WHAT?!? Why would rape and child molestation be less common in any other time period? Even in our enlightened days rape and molestation victims are afraid to come forward–can’t imagine social censure was stronger against perpetrators then. These crimes are not committed exclusively (or even mainly) by uninspired layabouts.

I have to agree with other posters who make the distinction of the right to have children, _if able to_. Society paying for multiple births brought on by fertility treatments is a drain as well, and how good can parenting be to those eight little ones. Also, we won’t fill the planet as long as people keep dying steadily, so maybe we should mandate euthanasia?

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