Would you support a parenthood licence?

[Millennium]

Soleron said:

highwaystar101 said:

Soleron said:

...

Just to be a devils advocate.

In special cases where you take the children away, the parent may decide they want another child.

If a parent had their children taken away because they were abusive to them, would you tell them they are not allowed to have any more children, or would you take their future children away from them when they are born?

Wouldn't it be more simple and perhaps even more humane to say "No, you've shown that you're an extremely bad parent, you can't have any more children"?

I don't see much difference between the two, because you can't enforce 'not having children' very well. You either have to stop people having sex (good luck with that), or require abortions, or take them away after people have them.

@Akvod

Some argue that weasel words are a bad idea.

But apart from that, how is it infringing on parents' rights? The checks would be only to see that the child is healthy and mentally OK. They could even be done at school, as long as it happens.

Presumption of innocence? Privacy? Unreasonable search and seizure?

For that matter, who provides the definition of "mentally OK": an idea that, when enshrined in law, has invariably been abused horribly? I would have hoped that by now we'd have learned from history as far as that goes.

I don't doubt that the people who support parental licensing mean well. But the ends, noble as they seem, are not sufficient to justify the means.