Is Procreation Too Easy?

[sunny-dave]

We've had a discussion over breakfast here (late night last night) about the 'gay threat MP resigns' thread running in news

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1550186.html

and I'm of the opinion that it's not whether you *can* procreate, but whether you *should* procreate - not just for gay people but for the rest of the population too - be they heterosexual or any of the LGBTQWXYZ alphabet soup of legitimate alternatives.

I recall the process that I had to go through each time I wanted to rehome a dog from Dogs Trust - suitable home, lifestyle, income etc etc - and compare that to the 'you just need the appropriate gametes and some way of introducing one to the other' which applies if you want a baby.

It sounds repressive, but so many children are born into (frankly) inadequate/abusive circumstances that I wonder if procreation needs to be regulated - not for population control (cf the One Child Policy that China had), but for the good of the children?

[Mamyalynne]

I imagine that most of us have thought it should be regulated at some time - usually about other people (not ourselves of course) but ultimately I would have to say no to regulation.

[whiskeryron]

far too easy, but of course what you are advocating is more big brother control. I am not sure we are ready for that.

[mikey4444]

A thorny problem Sunny, I agree. But, like Mamy, I am unsure about regulation too.

If all the predictions about the planet's population growth are to be believed, then life will certainly be very difficult for generations to come after my demise, that is for sure !

[Mamyalynne]

Would you have been happy to be subject to some regulation though divebuddy?

I'm not sure I would.

[Mamyalynne]

I took Dave's post to mean think about it both generally and personally.

[fender62]

Eugenics who knows what the future holds, but i do see on council estates women constantly pregnant all unemployed and have no desire to find work of any kind, life time on benefits sucking the tax payer dry, i find it abhorent and no excuse to not want to better ones self.
dignity self worth etc, just bone bloody idle

[woofgang]

What would you do about babies who are the outcome outcome of rule breaking, rape, or accidental conception?
Slightly different but I do think that people who have had to have children removed from their care should be put on reversible contraception. Not for punishment but to prevent a repeat.

[douglas9401]

'Population control by famine, drought and civil war.'

If Allah wills it.

[fender62]

accidental rape etc, mmm abortion adoption ?

[wolf63]

I think that it used to be a type of automatic progression.
1. find a partner
2. get married
3. have kids

Many people see having babies is their god given right without looking to see with-in themselves if they would be a good parent or had good genes to pass on to the next generation.

I am not sure that passing laws etc will help much. We should do it more like dog and horse breeding.

[New Judge]

Regular readers will know that I believe over-population to be a bigger threat to the welfare of mankind that so-called climate change will ever be. The numbers provided in some of the answers here are breathtakingly frightening.

It is difficult to prevent people from having children. But any nation that values its future wellbeing can take steps to discourage its people from having excessive numbers. There is no need here in the UK to provide child benefit for any children. There is no need to provide increasingly large accommodation for people who want to knock out a child every 12 months but have no visible means of support. There is no need to make everywhere “child friendly” so that those with children can carry on their lives in the same way as they did before they had any.

The UK could do with at least a steady population and preferably a slowly declining one. Governments can make life difficult and inconvenient for those with children and not seek to ease the path to comfort, wealth and riches by providing gifts and money for them. A good start would be to abolish child benefit and Child Tax Credits and to insist that families living in subsidised accommodation have to make do with what they have rather than being rehoused as soon as they knock out their next child. Single mothers should not be given assisted individual accommodation but instead should live in hostels. No visitors would be permitted (reducing - though not of course eliminating - the risk of them “falling pregnant” again). Food and essentials would be provided but no “pocket money” would be paid.

There’s lots more that could be done, but that would make a good start and it might make people think before they reproduce.

[fender62]

New Judge, well said you should run for prime minister

[RandyMarsh]

how long will it be until sex is not necessary?, 50. 100 years?

[Jackdaw33]

Unfortunately NJ is seriously right. In today's society babies are no more than cash cows.

[Tilly2]

Not all single mothers are chavvy slags.

[Jackdaw33]

Correct, but the majority are.

[DTCwordfan]

castration - let's have a party, it's a ball. Control such as this is highly dangerous - wit Hitler et al and symptomatic of a totalitarian state.

No.