If I choose to have a child that I can't afford, and seek government assistance, then I don't believe that it's unreasonable for the government to ask that the adult take reasonable precautions not to have children. I happen to believe that charities ought to offer incentives to encourage reproductive responsibility.
"Reproductive responsibility" should mean the same thing for people at all social strata. There are too many people on earth and it's good for us on the whole to encourage reproductive restraint. Also, each child carried to term places a physical burden on the woman who bears her.
But at the same time, here in the US, the political party which primarily advocates rollback of access to contraception and abortion simultaneously advocates the forced sterilization of women on public assistance. There are many various sinister undertones to this, but the thing is, we should not be making it harder for poor women to have children while at the same time making it harder for middle or upper class women to NOT have children. It should be one policy for all.
Why? Because our society sees children not as future contributors to society, but as an economic burden. Policymakers see children, especially poor children, as numbers, statistics to be reduced, or something that keeps an otherwise productive employee from sitting at their desk like a good little drone.
A society that does not love and value its children is insane! These children grow up to become adults with a seething anger.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2006-10-31 06:40 pm (UTC)"Reproductive responsibility" should mean the same thing for people at all social strata. There are too many people on earth and it's good for us on the whole to encourage reproductive restraint. Also, each child carried to term places a physical burden on the woman who bears her.
But at the same time, here in the US, the political party which primarily advocates rollback of access to contraception and abortion simultaneously advocates the forced sterilization of women on public assistance. There are many various sinister undertones to this, but the thing is, we should not be making it harder for poor women to have children while at the same time making it harder for middle or upper class women to NOT have children. It should be one policy for all.
Why? Because our society sees children not as future contributors to society, but as an economic burden. Policymakers see children, especially poor children, as numbers, statistics to be reduced, or something that keeps an otherwise productive employee from sitting at their desk like a good little drone.
A society that does not love and value its children is insane! These children grow up to become adults with a seething anger.