Reproduction - should everyone be allowed to do it?

• derek bomar

  

  Spin off of the fatty giving birth thread...
  
  I personally feel like if you can't care for a child you shouldn't bring one into the world. The problem I guess is:
  
  1) what standards you use to determine if you can care for one
  2) what to do with all the kids that are born even if the parents fail to meet the criteria
  
  Like, if you go to the hospital and give birth and you have drugs in your system, yoink, baby b gone...
  
  If you have no home...bye bye baby
  
  If you've been receiving gov't assistance for more than 2 years...bye bye baby
• darbypitcher22

  

  hmmm....interesting question....
• gerb131

  

  If you can't feed em don't breed em.
• dwccrew

  

  darbypitcher22 wrote: hmmm....interesting question....

  Do you always just post without adding anything to the threads just to boost your post count? I've noticed it on several threads. You just posted generalizations, I wonder if you even read or think about what is being asked at times.
  
  Anyhow, I agree with you, Derek, in theory; however, this would be incredibly difficult to do. AS you stated, what standards and what to do with the children. Not too mention how to enforce the regulations that would be set in place.
  
  This is a very complex issue, but it would be nice for these children to go to stable homes with people who could take proper care of them. Possibly people that can't have children and want to adopt.
• darbypitcher22

  

  no... I just was tryingto say that it IS a rather interesting question... I'm going to go think about it and I'll probably add something later
• GoChiefs

  

  No..everyone shouldn't be allowed. Too many children are neglected every day. Unfortunately. But..if it wasn't for those neglected children...my wife wouldn't have a job. (yes..I'm kidding..I wish her job was a job that didn't need to exist!)
• FatHobbit

  

  Boatshoes has an interesting post on the old Huddle about having some state sponsored way to raise kids. I hate the idea, but I'm not quite articulate enough to explain why. There are some kids who probably would be better off if they were not raised by their parents, but I'm not sure if someone should be allowed to determine that or if we should even try to set a standard. (I see parents and I think good grief they shouldn't be allowed to have kids, but I'm not sure where the line should be drawn.)
• Nate

  I think the government should step in when families of a certain number keep reproducing and requesting more government aid. Say after X amount of kids, we will no longer support you anymore than what we already are.
  
  I know its harsh but needs to be done before families have 100 kids to get more government aid.
• gerb131

  

  My old lady wants another kid but it doesn't fit our budget plain and simple. There would be no money left over for anything extracurricular. I would rather have 1 and spoil it to death and go on vacation every year, than have 2 and scrape by on PB&J's and mac and cheese. Things may change down the road but I hope we are 1 and done.
• Con_Alma

  derek bomar wrote: ...
  Like, if you go to the hospital and give birth and you have drugs in your system, yoink, baby b gone...
  
  If you have no home...bye bye baby
  
  If you've been receiving gov't assistance for more than 2 years...bye bye baby

  This is not the same as suggesting they are not permitted to reproduce.
  
  Yes, I think everyone should be permitted to reproduce...and unfortunately some people choose to.
• ManO'War

  

  In St Pete I had to get a permit to cut down a freakin tree in my yard, but people are allowed to reproduce like rabbits.
• gorocks99

  

  What are you gonna do if people reproduce w/o consent? Put a bunch of kids in orphanages?
  
  That's my only issue with it.
• derek bomar

  

  gorocks99 wrote: What are you gonna do if people reproduce w/o consent? Put a bunch of kids in orphanages?
  
  That's my only issue with it.

  obviously at first there would be kids placed into orphanages, but I think after word got out that it's 4 realz it would become less and less of an issue (not that I'm cool with putting kids in an orphanage). that said, would an orphanage be better than living with parents who couldn't give you the basic necessities? I don't know. Maybe before its implementation we could line up like 100k families who would be willing to adopt that day...I dunno the # needed but you know what I mean.
• pinstriper

  Intersting thoery one of my buddies came up with awhile ago:
  At birth, people should have the ability to reproduce taken from them (vasectomey, tie tubes, whatever the case may be or physically possible at that time, let the docs figure it out). Then when they reach age 21 or 22 or whatever you want it to be they can submit an application for a child...if they meet qualifications, then they can get their "parts fixed" and reproduce. Sounds crazy, a little Big Brother...but there goes all entitlement programs.
  Problem is, who sets the standards for qualifying parent? Not enough worker bees to support the older generation (i.e. pay for social security/medicare) - abortion is already leading to this. Obviously this would never happen...takes away our freedom and everything, but crazy to think about.
• power i

  

  "You need a license to buy a dog, drive a car, hell, you even need a license to catch a fish. But they'll let any butt-reamin' asshole be a father." - Tod Higgins, Parenthood
• FatHobbit

  

  power i wrote: "You need a license to buy a dog, drive a car, hell, you even need a license to catch a fish. But they'll let any butt-reamin' asshole be a father." - Tod Higgins, Parenthood

  If everyone did that, we wouldn't have to worry about reproducing.
• Strapping Young Lad

  

  You're too ugly and i'm too fat, what kind of seeds are we to spawn with genetic cards like that???
• BigAppleBuckeye

  

  pinstriper wrote: Intersting thoery one of my buddies came up with awhile ago:
  At birth, people should have the ability to reproduce taken from them (vasectomey, tie tubes, whatever the case may be or physically possible at that time, let the docs figure it out). Then when they reach age 21 or 22 or whatever you want it to be they can submit an application for a child...if they meet qualifications, then they can get their "parts fixed" and reproduce. Sounds crazy, a little Big Brother...but there goes all entitlement programs.
  Problem is, who sets the standards for qualifying parent? Not enough worker bees to support the older generation (i.e. pay for social security/medicare) - abortion is already leading to this. Obviously this would never happen...takes away our freedom and everything, but crazy to think about.

  This would make a very intriguing book or movie. Perhaps the setting is American, 2030, and after governmental restrictions led to this scenario, this would make for some really cool plotlines revolving around those who follow the rules, those who illegally try to have kids, etc. Perhaps an influx of world population led to this Earth-wide law ... hmmm.
• redstreak one

  

  I have a much simpler idea than fixing everyone, why not when a person becomes biologically able to reproduce they can sign up for govt assistance. They would be paid a lump sum, say $10,000 a year to get fixed, men and women. If they want it reversed, they dont get the money. You would have to make the money more than what a person would get paid with a child on welfare. If they want to sign back up after having 1 child, they would get a reduced rate, say $5000 a year. No money for 2 or more children.
  
  In 2 or 3 generations, the population would decline, especially those that are lifers on govt assistance already.
  
  The beauty of this, is that it is voluntary in a way, the money could be construed as big brother saying you dont have a choice because you are dirt poor already.
• ernest_t_bass

  

  This makes me laugh. It's sad that this happens, but it is our freedom, and also the way we are made... to reproduce.
  
  I guarantee there are a bunch of people (even on here) who would scream... "I HATE BIG GOVERNMENT!" and then, on a topic like this, say, "GOVERNMENT... YOU NEED TO STEP IN AND DO SOMETHING!"
• Strapping Young Lad

  

  Fuck the idea of a government neutering people. What the fuck is wrong with you people?!??!?! LOL.....
• derek bomar

  

  I don't want people neutered so much as I want people to stop having babies they can't provide for
• Darkon

  

  ernest_t_bass wrote: This makes me laugh. It's sad that this happens, but it is our freedom, and also the way we are made... to reproduce.
  
  I guarantee there are a bunch of people (even on here) who would scream... "I HATE BIG GOVERNMENT!" and then, on a topic like this, say, "GOVERNMENT... YOU NEED TO STEP IN AND DO SOMETHING!"

  I think the government needs to do something.
  CUT THE PROGRAMS!
  
  "Can not strengthen the weak by weakening the strong"
• dancinbear

  bomar,
  
  Congratulations! You've officially just put more thought into the idea of morons reproducing than the moron parents themselves!
  
  I teach special ed. in a district with a 76% poverty rate. If it weren't for morons reproducing, I wouldn't have a job. But seriously, I ask myself that question 100 times a week when I see what these kids go home to.
  
  Just today I loaded a kids backpack up with granola bars and crackers because he knew he wouldn't have anything to eat this weekend. It's been a bad week for kids in that situation here, particularly a handful that I'm dealing with. The longer the weekends and the more snow days, the more depressed some of these kids get. It's really sad to see a severely depressed 11 year old boy...really sad.
• Swamp Fox

  And what you are describing is exactly why you are an outstanding teacher. You care and the kids you come in contact with, know you care. You are probably, in many cases, the only caring "parent" those kids will see all day. You will undoubtedly go broke teaching because your heart is way too big for your salary, but the kids you befriend will remember your kindness for many years. I am so glad you chose to teach.