This may seem a little off topic for my blog but I'm waxing philosophical this evening and felt like posing the question running through my mind to a wider audience. Let me explain. I do volunteer work every Monday night at a local place that cares for kids who are in dire straits. I don't want to breach any confidentiality so I'll leave the description at that. The particular area in which I volunteer is for kids under 5 years of age.
I leave there every Monday night with either a smile on my face or an ache in my heart. Sometimes both but either of which is a perfectly understandable result, I'm sure. The ache in my heart sometimes comes from the fact that there is almost NEVER just one child from an unfit home -- there are almost always at least two and, most often, there are three or more.
I guess my "issue" tonight could be best put in the words of Keanu Reeves's character in the movie Parenthood: "You have to have a license to drive and you even have to have a license to fish. But they'll let any butt reaming a$$hole be a parent."
The question that vexes me tonight (and many Monday nights) is:
Why do we continue to let unfit parents procreate ??
I know that we live in a free society and what I might suggest seems fascist but don't we, as the civilized beings that we think we are, owe it to kids to somehow monitor this? If the government is going to intervene at all in these types of situations, is it really so bad to make a semi-permanent birth control device (say depo-provera or norplant, for example) mandatory until it is verified that the parent is again (or for the first time ever) qualified to raise his/her children? Is that really fascist?
If my tax dollars and my volunteer time are considered an investment in the future of these children, shouldn't those same things come into play to do everything we can to see that the same kids (and even more siblings) don't end up back in the hands of the government?
I leave there every Monday night with either a smile on my face or an ache in my heart. Sometimes both but either of which is a perfectly understandable result, I'm sure. The ache in my heart sometimes comes from the fact that there is almost NEVER just one child from an unfit home -- there are almost always at least two and, most often, there are three or more.
I guess my "issue" tonight could be best put in the words of Keanu Reeves's character in the movie Parenthood: "You have to have a license to drive and you even have to have a license to fish. But they'll let any butt reaming a$$hole be a parent."
The question that vexes me tonight (and many Monday nights) is:
Why do we continue to let unfit parents procreate ??
I know that we live in a free society and what I might suggest seems fascist but don't we, as the civilized beings that we think we are, owe it to kids to somehow monitor this? If the government is going to intervene at all in these types of situations, is it really so bad to make a semi-permanent birth control device (say depo-provera or norplant, for example) mandatory until it is verified that the parent is again (or for the first time ever) qualified to raise his/her children? Is that really fascist?
If my tax dollars and my volunteer time are considered an investment in the future of these children, shouldn't those same things come into play to do everything we can to see that the same kids (and even more siblings) don't end up back in the hands of the government?
Just thought I'd ask... what do you all think?
Comments
And how long before they want to sterilize conservatives? After all...we're ruining their country, right?I agree that it's a sticky situation -- once you start on that road it would indeed be quite tricky to keep it where it belongs. However, what I'm proposing is not sterilization, simply controlling the ability for unfit parents to continue to have kids until they straighten themselves out. Once the court confirms that the family home can indeed provide a better situation for the children, remove the birth control device.
Although, your point is well-taken. I could certainly envision a Liberal judge deciding that the teaching of Conservative values in the family home is bad for the children... I'd better start procreating like a rabbit just in case. We need to be certain to have a few more sassy Conservatives on hand to look out for the future of this great country!
http://www.elitestv.com/pub/2004/Nov/EEN4194ce7079d8b.html