License To Have Children: Limit the number of children per family?

Naphtali · ,

Do you think couples should be required to have a license to have children? You hear so much about parents shaking their kids and not taking care of them which has lead to death.

Taking care of a child is so much more important than driving a car so why not have couples get a license to have a child? I also think that there should be a limit to how many children a couple can have. I just think it's a smart thing to do in order to save the environment and watch out for overpopulation. I just think that having children is a privilege and not an entitlement.

but I also think that there should be a limit and in some cases parents should be sterilized.

Brandbla8 · ,

No, absolutely not. Some should choose not to have children I think but we cannot be a dictatorship. That leads to so many other problems.

,

Setting a limit doesn't make sense to me. however i don't see any reason in bringing children into this world when you know for sure that you don't even have time for yourself let alone taking good care of your children. for this reason i think couples need license before they do anything.

Louise31 · ,

I have always wondered what makes people want 9, 10, 11 kids when they can hardly support them!

yvonnewilcox · ,

My thoughts on this is have as many children as you can afford and love. It is hard to maintain a good quality of life without the backbone of a complete family. In today's society everyone has to work to make ends meet. Child care is expensive and depending on the job you have, it may be more cost effective to have one of the parents stay home to watch the children rather than paying the child care costs.

I have one child that I love dearly. Well he is not even a child anymore because he is 22 years old. I can not imagine having more than one now that I think about the expenses this one created.

Darthaneon · ,

I’m against parents who aren’t taking care of their child but I think that having a license to have some kids is too much. I don’t think that we should consider it as the same as having some firearms.

Andy · ,

I think you should be able to have as many kids as you can afford and WILLING to take care of. Just because you can support 10 kids doesn't mean you should have 10 if you are not willing to care for them.

Darthaneon · ,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Louise31

I have always wondered what makes people want 9, 10, 11 kids when they can hardly support them!

To answer your question, it is just lust that they are thinking about and they don’t really care what would happen to the children that they will be having. These kinds of people are what you call selfish.

nancy · ,

I am 50/50 on this one... On one hand you should have the right to make your own decisions. On the other hand, some people need help to make the right choice.

Sundae · ,

well you have a point there to be licensed to have a child because there are many cases that children were taking for granted and parents don't care how to take good care of a child as long as they feed their child but not a good nutrition.

suvan · ,

I do agree with your views that there should be a limit on number of children a couple can have.It'll help to control the population rate.But it's quite peculiar & unjustice to apply for a license to have a child.

cognitive · ,

I am totally against that . My parents didn't take care of me, they didn't spend at all time ,much less quality time with me and my mother was criticizing me all the time , never said to me "happy birthday" or "i love you ".
I assume they wouldn't have been able to acquire a license for having children supposing they had to have one before having me .But I am sooo happy that I was born and enjoy all the things of this life , good or bad .

bellebelle · ,

I've asked myself this question so many times. When I see someone that’s obviously mistreating their kids, I think "Man, if we only had some type of class, or license that someone had to take in order to have kids, this problem would never happen". And although it wouldn't, it would take away our freedom.

So what do you do? You don't want to see a child getting mistreated, but yet, if we start putting "bans" or "requirements" on people in order for them to have children, you take away our freedom which is so precious.

The only alternative that I see is that we watch others for signs of child abuse and be willing to phone the local authorities or step in and take action if necessary.

It won't solve the problem but it is a start.

Ezhel · ,

I don't actually agree on this, having a child is a blessing from God and that was achieved through love, It should be better that a couples are aware of it and is ready to commit big responsibilities.both should be matured enough to face for any consequences it brings.

originata · ,

Of course there shouldn't be a license at least not for those reasons. I couldn't imagine a fair system in place that would take into account unlicensed births and the process of distributing licenses to the "qualified".

surfzone · ,

License? I don't think that's necessary. Having children is a choice and responsibility. Having a new member in the family deserves the proper care and nourishment. Parents who have maltreated their children seems like they have unsolved internal problems.

lilbit · ,

No way! I wouldn't like this at all if anyone tried to make us do this. However people need to have integrity and make better wiser decisions.

muthu · ,

State laws and definitions of child endangerment differ and new laws concerning this charge are updated annually it seems. Driving without a license may be considered child endangerment in some states but not others. In many states another reason that you are cited for, such as reckless driving, will be enough to add child endangerment if the officer believes that you were driving in such a way that you put the child's safety at risk

cinbadd · ,

No. I do not believe parents should be required to have a license to have children. What would be the criteria? Who would decide? How would the rules be enforced-- and by whom? Aside from the fact that it would be denying people basic, fundamental human rights, it would set the stage for corruption beyond belief.

My brother married into a huge family. My sister-in-law has 11 siblings. Their parents weren't rich, by any means, but they managed to raise a beautiful family, just the same. They're all married with children of their own now, and still very, very close. The Holidays are a little hectic, but there is certainly nothing selfish about any of them.

If I'm not mistaken, the Japanese Government has been, for years, enforcing "guidelines" about how many children (specifically girls) a couple may have.

Granted, there are people who simply aren't able to meet the challenges of "properly" raising children, for any number of reasons, but to deny women the opportunity to bear children, based on someone's idea of who would and would not be a good parent, is going waaaaay too far in my opinion.

KelseyMN121 · ,

Yeah... I agree with Bellebelle (and others).
In my view the purpose of government is first and foremost to protect the life and liberty of it's people. No government or any other group has the right to regulate family life. That is a HUGE breach of personal freedom. The only way a government can be allowed to interfere is when they see someone being abused. In that case they would be protecting the child (or whomever) and their freedoms. A license or any regulation what-so-ever would simply open the door for eugenics (trying, through sterilization and selective breeding, to attain "more perfect" human beings), like in Nazi Germany and other places.

K1nS · ,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Naphtali

Do you think couples should be required to have a license to have children? You hear so much about parents shaking their kids and not taking care of them which has lead to death. Taking care of a child is so much more important than driving a car so why not have couples get a license to have a child? I also thing that there should be a limit to how many children a couple can have. I just think it's a smart thing to do in order to save the environment and watch out for overpopulation. I just think that having children is a privilege and not an entitlement.

No to be honest I think its a daft idea, I know you hear a lot about parents abusing their children and what not but why spoil it for the rest of the people who do a good job? I also don't think you should put a limit on how many children someone can have, after all its supposed to be a free country so why should anyone be able to tell parents how many children they can have?

mattesonb · ,

Come on now. What would be next?
I am a social worker and believe that many people are not equipped to deal with the economic pressures + child rearing. Some sort of education should be mandatory before a couple decides to have a child, or after an unplanned pregnancy happens. Some sort of follow up services should also be available after the child is born.
I've worked with too many women who were either not equipped, or were incapable of nurturing a child appropriately. It's sad. Not every woman was meant to be a mother. Some women don't have the heart.

cuitw · ,

Definitely a no for me. I think having a child is a very basic human rights, if you are concerned about overpopulation, I would suggest to reward the married couples for not having children. We may not limit but we can encourage them to do it.

In Singapore, the government reward university graduated couple for the first child I heard, it sounds like a good idea to me.

rcf5005 · ,

Biologically, it would be perfect, but legally and morally, it seems like it's easily a big no-no. The limitations could be swayed quite easily to make it harder for one race, or height or color, etc. It doesn't seem like it would be too easy/impossible to initiate (at least in America).

vivek · ,

China is the most populous country in the world. It therefore had to take some very stringent steps. In China you a one child policy, meaning, if you have only one child you have various tax benefits offered by the government and the moment you go for another child, these benefits are withdrawn.
In Singapore, where there is a very mixed ethnic population, the trend is reverse.
Coming to the topic question, it is not proper to have licence to produce babies, though you can provide support.

Peter · ,

I think that there is no need having license before one can have children. It depends upon the parents how many children they want to have. However, it is the duty of Parents to love their children and take care of them...

7Heartz · ,

No, definitely not.

It's sad that there are people who just leave their child because they can't deal with it. People just need to seriously think about how many children their having - reflecting on how much they can afford and take care of. As said I belive it's a breech of personal freedom by putting on a limit.

John9 · ,

I don't like the idea of making children look like cars or properties. If we need license to have children, does that mean we have to renew our license every year or something or our kids will be taken away. Sounds funny to me.

rcf5005 · ,

Yeah that's a good point too, John9. I sorta assumed that you were referring to getting a license to get pregnant, but would it mean get or keep a license to get or keep kids? Interesting question!

technica · ,

Well, bringing children into the world and then not caring for them is really bad. The parents should think of what would have happened if their parents didn't care for them in their childhood.

Many countries nowadays promote family planning. Like 2 children at most and if its one boy and one girl then its awesome family. It also helps in the population.

About needing a license before having children is not a good solution, instead awareness should be created at large extend to make parents realize the mistakes they might have done earlier.

Related Topics
Topic	Topic Starter	Categories	Replies	Last Reply
How many Children do you want to have?	Unregistered	FRIENDS AND FAMILY	1
I am 28 years old and I have no children	Susan	NEW MEMBER INTRODUCTIONS	0
What are we teaching our children?	sunshine4	SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES	25
How do you teach your children about money?	lgullett	SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES	5
About 30,000 children die everyday in Africa	Simplyme	SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES	15

,	#2
Brandbla8 Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Replies: 30	No, absolutely not. Some should choose not to have children I think but we cannot be a dictatorship. That leads to so many other problems.

,	#3
BBen Guest Replies: n/a	Setting a limit doesn't make sense to me. however i don't see any reason in bringing children into this world when you know for sure that you don't even have time for yourself let alone taking good care of your children. for this reason i think couples need license before they do anything.

,	#4
Louise31 Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Replies: 31	I have always wondered what makes people want 9, 10, 11 kids when they can hardly support them!

,	#5
yvonnewilcox Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Bronx, NY Replies: 12	To have 1 child or more My thoughts on this is have as many children as you can afford and love. It is hard to maintain a good quality of life without the backbone of a complete family. In today's society everyone has to work to make ends meet. Child care is expensive and depending on the job you have, it may be more cost effective to have one of the parents stay home to watch the children rather than paying the child care costs. I have one child that I love dearly. Well he is not even a child anymore because he is 22 years old. I can not imagine having more than one now that I think about the expenses this one created.

,	#6
Darthaneon Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Replies: 30	I’m against parents who aren’t taking care of their child but I think that having a license to have some kids is too much. I don’t think that we should consider it as the same as having some firearms.

,	#7
Andy Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Replies: 70	I think you should be able to have as many kids as you can afford and WILLING to take care of. Just because you can support 10 kids doesn't mean you should have 10 if you are not willing to care for them.

,	#9
nancy Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Replies: 20	I am 50/50 on this one... On one hand you should have the right to make your own decisions. On the other hand, some people need help to make the right choice.

,	#10
Sundae Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Replies: 6	well you have a point there to be licensed to have a child because there are many cases that children were taking for granted and parents don't care how to take good care of a child as long as they feed their child but not a good nutrition.

,	#11
suvan Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Replies: 47	I do agree with your views that there should be a limit on number of children a couple can have.It'll help to control the population rate.But it's quite peculiar & unjustice to apply for a license to have a child.

,	#12
cognitive Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Replies: 26	I am totally against that . My parents didn't take care of me, they didn't spend at all time ,much less quality time with me and my mother was criticizing me all the time , never said to me "happy birthday" or "i love you ". I assume they wouldn't have been able to acquire a license for having children supposing they had to have one before having me .But I am sooo happy that I was born and enjoy all the things of this life , good or bad .

,	#13
bellebelle Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Replies: 30	I've asked myself this question so many times. When I see someone that’s obviously mistreating their kids, I think "Man, if we only had some type of class, or license that someone had to take in order to have kids, this problem would never happen". And although it wouldn't, it would take away our freedom. So what do you do? You don't want to see a child getting mistreated, but yet, if we start putting "bans" or "requirements" on people in order for them to have children, you take away our freedom which is so precious. The only alternative that I see is that we watch others for signs of child abuse and be willing to phone the local authorities or step in and take action if necessary. It won't solve the problem but it is a start.

,	#14
Ezhel Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Replies: 21	I don't actually agree on this, having a child is a blessing from God and that was achieved through love, It should be better that a couples are aware of it and is ready to commit big responsibilities.both should be matured enough to face for any consequences it brings.

,	#15
originata Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Replies: 6	Of course there shouldn't be a license at least not for those reasons. I couldn't imagine a fair system in place that would take into account unlicensed births and the process of distributing licenses to the "qualified".

,	#16
surfzone Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Replies: 21	License? I don't think that's necessary. Having children is a choice and responsibility. Having a new member in the family deserves the proper care and nourishment. Parents who have maltreated their children seems like they have unsolved internal problems.

,	#17
lilbit Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Replies: 5	No way! I wouldn't like this at all if anyone tried to make us do this. However people need to have integrity and make better wiser decisions.

,	#18
muthu Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Replies: 1	RE:License To Have Children? State laws and definitions of child endangerment differ and new laws concerning this charge are updated annually it seems. Driving without a license may be considered child endangerment in some states but not others. In many states another reason that you are cited for, such as reckless driving, will be enough to add child endangerment if the officer believes that you were driving in such a way that you put the child's safety at risk

,	#19
cinbadd Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: USA Replies: 15	No. I do not believe parents should be required to have a license to have children. What would be the criteria? Who would decide? How would the rules be enforced-- and by whom? Aside from the fact that it would be denying people basic, fundamental human rights, it would set the stage for corruption beyond belief. My brother married into a huge family. My sister-in-law has 11 siblings. Their parents weren't rich, by any means, but they managed to raise a beautiful family, just the same. They're all married with children of their own now, and still very, very close. The Holidays are a little hectic, but there is certainly nothing selfish about any of them. If I'm not mistaken, the Japanese Government has been, for years, enforcing "guidelines" about how many children (specifically girls) a couple may have. Granted, there are people who simply aren't able to meet the challenges of "properly" raising children, for any number of reasons, but to deny women the opportunity to bear children, based on someone's idea of who would and would not be a good parent, is going waaaaay too far in my opinion.

,	#20
KelseyMN121 Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Replies: 7	No.... Yeah... I agree with Bellebelle (and others). In my view the purpose of government is first and foremost to protect the life and liberty of it's people. No government or any other group has the right to regulate family life. That is a HUGE breach of personal freedom. The only way a government can be allowed to interfere is when they see someone being abused. In that case they would be protecting the child (or whomever) and their freedoms. A license or any regulation what-so-ever would simply open the door for eugenics (trying, through sterilization and selective breeding, to attain "more perfect" human beings), like in Nazi Germany and other places.

,	#22
mattesonb Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Replies: 2	Re: License To Have Children? Come on now. What would be next? I am a social worker and believe that many people are not equipped to deal with the economic pressures + child rearing. Some sort of education should be mandatory before a couple decides to have a child, or after an unplanned pregnancy happens. Some sort of follow up services should also be available after the child is born. I've worked with too many women who were either not equipped, or were incapable of nurturing a child appropriately. It's sad. Not every woman was meant to be a mother. Some women don't have the heart.

,	#23
cuitw Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Replies: 26	Re: License To Have Children? Definitely a no for me. I think having a child is a very basic human rights, if you are concerned about overpopulation, I would suggest to reward the married couples for not having children. We may not limit but we can encourage them to do it. In Singapore, the government reward university graduated couple for the first child I heard, it sounds like a good idea to me.

License To Have Children: Limit the number of children per family?

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES

,	#24
rcf5005 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Replies: 42	Re: License To Have Children? Biologically, it would be perfect, but legally and morally, it seems like it's easily a big no-no. The limitations could be swayed quite easily to make it harder for one race, or height or color, etc. It doesn't seem like it would be too easy/impossible to initiate (at least in America).

,	#25
vivek Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Replies: 15	Re: License To Have Children? China is the most populous country in the world. It therefore had to take some very stringent steps. In China you a one child policy, meaning, if you have only one child you have various tax benefits offered by the government and the moment you go for another child, these benefits are withdrawn. In Singapore, where there is a very mixed ethnic population, the trend is reverse. Coming to the topic question, it is not proper to have licence to produce babies, though you can provide support.

,	#26
Peter Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Replies: 11	Re: License To Have Children? I think that there is no need having license before one can have children. It depends upon the parents how many children they want to have. However, it is the duty of Parents to love their children and take care of them...

,	#27
7Heartz Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Replies: 25	Re: License To Have Children? No, definitely not. It's sad that there are people who just leave their child because they can't deal with it. People just need to seriously think about how many children their having - reflecting on how much they can afford and take care of. As said I belive it's a breech of personal freedom by putting on a limit.

,	#28
John9 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Replies: 37	Re: License To Have Children? I don't like the idea of making children look like cars or properties. If we need license to have children, does that mean we have to renew our license every year or something or our kids will be taken away. Sounds funny to me.

,	#29
rcf5005 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Replies: 42	Re: License To Have Children? Yeah that's a good point too, John9. I sorta assumed that you were referring to getting a license to get pregnant, but would it mean get or keep a license to get or keep kids? Interesting question!

,	#30
technica Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Replies: 9	Re: License To Have Children? Well, bringing children into the world and then not caring for them is really bad. The parents should think of what would have happened if their parents didn't care for them in their childhood. Many countries nowadays promote family planning. Like 2 children at most and if its one boy and one girl then its awesome family. It also helps in the population. About needing a license before having children is not a good solution, instead awareness should be created at large extend to make parents realize the mistakes they might have done earlier.