Parenting license, good or bad idea?

Forty-Two, one of my longtime regular readers, has always been an advocate for the idea of licensing parents. That is that couples would have to somehow obtain a license before being allowed to have children. With recent headline such as these and with parents like Britney Spears and Kevin Federline in the world, its easy to see where an idea like this becomes appealing. So what about it? Should we seek to require licenses for parents? Here's how I see it:

On the Good Hand
  • People with known drug/substance addictions would not be allowed to bring children into this world that will most likely abuse and/or neglect.
  • We could properly address and handle the growing problem of teen pregnancy.
  • People who belong who crazy religious sects involved with polygamy, pedophilia, etc - no more kids.
  • Registered sex offender in your family? Move away, get a restraining order, or NO KIDS.
What am I missing on the good list? Let me know.

On the Bad Hand (which is the left hand (sorry lefties))

  • Who determines the requirements for the lisense?
  • How would this liscence be issues/enforced?
  • What if a person becomes pregnant but does not have a lescence to be? Would she be forced to terminate or give up the child for adoption?
Get the idea? This notion sounds great on the surface, but when you ask just a handful of deeper questions, its easy to see that this license presents a whole host of larger moral dilemmas. I want to know what you think. How do you propose a Parenting License should work? Or would it at all?

Suggested Reading: SUPERNANNY: HOW TO GET THE BEST FROM YOUR CHILDREN

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Also, where is the money supposed to come from to fund something like this?

Anonymous said...

It's simple. Use economics to social engineer. Tax deductions not tax credits for children. All children taken away from abusive families get sold to the highest bidder and the money goes back to the governments coffers.

Chase Roper said...

So, are you suggesting we open up the whole parenting issue to the market? And let free trade and capitalism sort it out?

Anonymous said...

everything should be open to free trade and capatalism. the world would be a better place.

on another note, apparently I've never been taught how not to chop my fingers into little bits. I've done it twice now. :(

Love, jason.

Anonymous said...

Not just free trade, but total global trade. Just think how much some guy in Tailand would pay for an already abused kid. Were talkin no more deficit. This could be as big as the .com boom. A whole new meaning to the baby boom.

Chase Roper said...

Wow, some of you are scaring me.

let's sign our comments people!

Thanks for reading.