There are only two real sides to this one that I can see so far, however I'm willing to listen to dissenting opinions and ideas.

Freedom

If you truly believe in the concept of freedom then you basically have to stand against parental licenses because it constricts the right to chose to have children and how to raise them. In this camp you have people that are willing to put up and deal with the rejected spawn of the dregs of society so that they might themselves remain free. Its a hard thing to say you would prefer to allow the criminal and neglectful element to spawn and essentially maintain the status quo however those in this field prefer their liberty to safety and are comfortable with that choice.

Reason and Logic

This camp can see that there are people in this world who should not be reproducing at all because the cannot manage the simple task of parenting (I know its not simple, but it ain't rocket science either). While not everything is genetic children of the bad apples of society quite often end up following in their footsteps, so this group obviously wants to reign in the bad elements by preventing them from reproducing and imparting their negative habits and ways on their children.

-----

I don't even think I can honestly weigh in without going out on a tangent or ranting or just plain flipping out. That being said I do see one up-side that nobody is seeing to this yet; such a program could also encourage breeding among suitable parents via incentives so that countries that are below the replacement birth rate can return to a sustainable level.

Honestly I don't think there is any real right answer to this because the systems are not there yet to stop out of license reproduction and society as a whole may never get behind the forced sterilization which would undoubtedly become necessary in such a world.

We need less governmental regulation, not more.

Yes, there are bad parents out there. Although absent fathers have gotten the majority of the bad rap, the current system is constructed to alienate them and remove them from the picture, rather than empowering them to be a part of the family unit. Besides, mothers are statistically more likely to abuse their children than the fathers.

However, I believe that bad parents are the exception to the rule, and not the rule itself. Most parents are mediocre parents and some are exceptional parents, but it should not be the government's role to determine who is which, and who should procreate and who should not. Our lack of culture is entirely because of the McStandardization of every level of our society.

After all, if one raised a child the way that mainstream society would like, that level of coddling would create yet another generation of co-dependent children that are unprepared for the world and will not leave the nest even into their 40's. I personally think that our culture would be a better place if parents had a more Laissez-Faire attitude towards their children, and encouraged their search for independence rather than teach co-dependence.

Besides, for all the bad parents out there, there are just as many children that learn from their parent's bad examples. I grew up in a physically and emotionally abusive household. It didn't scar me whatsoever or ruin my life in any way. I grew up, got my first job at 14 (and made 3x what my father with a very high level of Security Clearance did per hour) and moved out at 15. I became not only a responsible adult long before my peers, but learned from my parents' bad example to become a parent not like them, but an exceptional parent that has raised a fiercely independent and strong-willed child who is eager to make her own way in the world.

As far as mandatory education, unless you are home-schooled, it is already mandatory in High School. For the past two or three decades every student must pass some kind of Parenting class in school...although the teenagers of some fundamentalist Christians get excused on religious grounds because these classes often teach Birth Control methods or teach ambiguity of the family unit rather than teaching only the Nuclear Family model.

Still, bad parents have been around since the dawn of time. It is no one's right to judge another lest they have walked a while in their shoes. As such, no one has a right to deny another the unalienable right of procreation, least of all the government.

As such, I have to give a big thumbs down to the idea.

[edit on 9-8-2009 by fraterormus]

Guess what, parenting may be a lot of work, but its not that complicated.

Republicans do it...

Democrats do it...

...even cavemen did it. No kidding, look it up.

No licence necessary. Let's stop talking about taking peoples rights away as if we'd be doing society a favor.



[edit on 9-8-2009 by abefrohman]

I'm just gonna say - - animals seem to be smarter about producing the next generation then humans are.

At this point - I believe we have enough humans to assure the survival of the species.

Perhaps - it is time to be more intelligent about who/what is being infused to the next generation of humans.

Cold - calculated - scientific - designer babies? Yep!

I can't think of a more disturbing thing than having the government involved in what is basic freedom and that is having a child. I agree that there are terrible parents out there and to the extent that they are, their kids should be removed from them and they should lose any opportunity to get them back. One of the things that is routine in our childcare system is this notion of family reunification. Child abuse and neglect is and should be a one strike deal.

The problems with government involvement are so numerous, that it is difficult to enumerate them here, but suffice it to say that the slope here is so slippery that I think you need to envision the worst elements of the government involved in your home life. Additionally, it is often not the first child that creates a problem with bad parents. It is the third/fourth child that drives folks over the edge. Are you going to need to get approval for each kid? How is the liscense supposed to guage the ability of a family to handle a third young child? A little too Chinese for me

What do you do with the unwanted children? We already have way too many kids up for adoption in the world, let alone the country. How to you ensure that a women who has been told by the government that she is unqualified to keep her child remain healthy throughout our pregnancy and get proper prenatal care? Do you force her? If that is the case, you will need in many cases enprison her. Is that the country you want to live in? Pregnant women either under constant and mandatory government supervision or having forced abortions, millions of children as wards of the state, being endroctronated by the government?

Bad parents are a fact of life. Free educational services and encouragement to attend those classes, which we already have is the only solution. As far as someone telling me how to raise my kids, go ahead and knock on my door. I'll at a minimum tell you to get stabbed.

If you are concerned about the environment that kids are being raised in, do something about it. volunteer at an organization that focuses on kids. Support your local Y, coach a team, become big brother or big sister, join one of numerous organizations out there that are always looking for good adults to act as mentors, lend a hand to a family/single parent who you think might be going through a tough time. Organize group that does any of the above. The point is that you/we need to do things to improve the quality of the lives of the children in our society. Not the government. The best thing that the government can do to help familys is to cut our taxes and remove the ball and chain of government from parents.

Originally posted by kiwifoot

The sytem should not stop parents from becoming parents, but stop parents from becoming bad parents.

But you are right, who decides good/bad, who enforces this and where does it stop, I will grant you, very tricky and sensitive, but I did say that in the title!

Perhaps we can start with proving you have education and financial security to afford a child.

We still have cultures who base virility on how many children you can produce.

Nothing tricky here...

For centuries people have raised children without the need for a licence, or an overweight social worker to tell them how to do it.

Time has PROVEN that child bearing and rearing comes natural for most people and animals. Most can do it without an overwhelming desire to beat or eat their offspring.

If you feel you just can't be happy unless you have the government directly involved with raising society's children, then by all means feel free to sign up for a few home visits for yourself and your family members

The rest of us are not scared and we're not stupid and we can raise our children without the governments interference.

Originally posted by dolphinfan
I can't think of a more disturbing thing than having the government involved in what is basic freedom and that is having a child. I agree that there are terrible parents out there and to the extent that they are, their kids should be removed from them and they should lose any opportunity to get them back. One of the things that is routine in our childcare system is this notion of family reunification. Child abuse and neglect is and should be a one strike deal.

The problems with government involvement are so numerous, that it is difficult to enumerate them here, but suffice it to say that the slope here is so slippery that I think you need to envision the worst elements of the government involved in your home life. Additionally, it is often not the first child that creates a problem with bad parents. It is the third/fourth child that drives folks over the edge. Are you going to need to get approval for each kid? How is the liscense supposed to guage the ability of a family to handle a third young child? A little too Chinese for me

What do you do with the unwanted children? We already have way too many kids up for adoption in the world, let alone the country. How to you ensure that a women who has been told by the government that she is unqualified to keep her child remain healthy throughout our pregnancy and get proper prenatal care? Do you force her? If that is the case, you will need in many cases enprison her. Is that the country you want to live in? Pregnant women either under constant and mandatory government supervision or having forced abortions, millions of children as wards of the state, being endroctronated by the government?

Bad parents are a fact of life. Free educational services and encouragement to attend those classes, which we already have is the only solution. As far as someone telling me how to raise my kids, go ahead and knock on my door. I'll at a minimum tell you to get stabbed.

If you are concerned about the environment that kids are being raised in, do something about it. volunteer at an organization that focuses on kids. Support your local Y, coach a team, become big brother or big sister, join one of numerous organizations out there that are always looking for good adults to act as mentors, lend a hand to a family/single parent who you think might be going through a tough time. Organize group that does any of the above. The point is that you/we need to do things to improve the quality of the lives of the children in our society. Not the government. The best thing that the government can do to help familys is to cut our taxes and remove the ball and chain of government from parents.

Well said!!!

Getting involved in a positive way is our responsibility.

Originally posted by Sundancer
Nothing tricky here...

For centuries people have raised children without the need for a licence, or an overweight social worker to tell them how to do it.

Time has PROVEN that child bearing and rearing comes natural for most people and animals. Most can do it without an overwhelming desire to beat or eat their offspring.

If you feel you just can't be happy unless you have the government directly involved with raising society's children, then by all means feel free to sign up for a few home visits for yourself and your family members

The rest of us are not scared and we're not stupid and we can raise our children without the governments interference.

Hm, very good for you and you kids, but what about the thousands, yes thousands of kids at risk in US and Uk cites right now because of parents who have no clue, nor have they had any guidance.

I'm not talking about control, nor am I talking about governments determining how you raise your kids, but giving support and assistance to new parents, making sure they have the skills, means, equipment and support to bring up healthy, happy kids.

You may be fine, but there are kids dying right now because of this issue, overdramatic maybe, but alas, true.