Mandatory birth control?
I know I begged the media to stop talking about Nadya Suleman, but since they can’t seem to let it go, I’m here to offer a few suggestions that I’ve been kicking around in my head for years that will surely put an end to incapable parents birthing more than their share of children in the future.
First, a few scary annual facts about children in the US:
- Over one million children are the victims of either abuse or neglect
- Child abuse and neglect costs the US an estimated $103.8 billion
- About 3 million pregnancies in the US are classified as “unwanted”
- Approximately 500,000 children are living in foster care
- More than 28.6 million children are born to low income families or 20% of the under 17 population
- More than 7 million children (under 5 years old) receive WIC benefits
My suggestions–
Licensing: Why is being physically able to incubate a baby the only criteria required to become a parent in this country? You need a license to drive, to own a dog and to play the radio in a restaurant, so why not one to prove you’re responsible enough and have the means to raise a human being?
Birth limits based on available bedrooms: There are regulations on how close to the property line you can put up a fence in your backyard and your town will make you pull a permit to add a bedroom. But add eight kids next door and no one questions it? Come on!
Birth control for everyone under the age of 21: Birth control costs between $20-50/month. The cost of raising a child ranges from $120-$250K (for the first 17 years at least). Not a big fan of the pill? Check out these other suggested forms of birth control.
Drug test the mother and the father: If you can’t give up your drugs, then maybe you should rethink that pregnancy thing. It was cool in high school and all, but now you are just plain pathetic and selfish.
Child discipline training: Parents tend to parent like their parents. See the problem? Let’s commit to bringing up responsible, respectful, balanced human beings–not second-rate images of ourselves.
3 comments
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March 1, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Chicken Liver
Yeah not going to work out, we would be a communist country if the government has THAT much control over our bodies. I agree though, anyone can birth a child, a mother is totally different thing.
March 1, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Mother Shaffer
Damn, that freedom thing always gets in the way
March 5, 2009 at 6:50 pm
sandra
I’m a big fan of most of your ideas, i’ve been kicking them around myself since i was 15 and in high school (i’m 18 now). The number of girls that year that were pregnant in my town and attending either the high school or middle school at the time was absolutely astounding. And a few of them, still under 18, are working on their second child. I know people that actually want 10 kids, and several that have adopted from third world countries. But what a lot of people don’t realize is the equally astounding number of children in our own country that need homes. Yet birth control is virtually impossible to get, and safe sex education is nonexistent. Look at China, they’ve had population control laws in effect for centuries, yet when i bring up such an issue here it’s quickly turned down as cruel, inhumane, or against our rights as people. Again, I reference. Many types of animals that live in packs kill youngsters and babies if they either think they will be a threat to the pack, or the pack cannot afford them (hunting is bad, ect). I’m not saying to start killing off our children, i’m just saying that when a girl comes of age they need to be put through parenting education, safe sex education, put on birth control and the likes.
It’s ridiculous that at 18 i’ve decided i want to adopt within the U.S and give a child a chance at a family when his or her parents have abandoned him, yet i have to be infertile or extremely rich based on American adoption laws, and I cannot have my tubes tied because i’m not 21 or 26 and don’t have at least 2 children. And because i cannot get my tubes tied i have to be on birth control, but the only one that i haven’t had horrible side effects on, has been taken off because of funding. And because of that i tried mirena, but they rejected me yet again because i’m not 21 or 26 and don’t have at least 1 kid. So now I have no birth control.
this country is seriously messed up.
Sandra
cherrylipedandrogyny@yahoo.com