this will probably put the cat among the pigeons, but...

[threenorns]

i honestly think that ppl should be required by law to exercise birth control until they've obtained a certification in parenting and child care and a psychological profile has deemed them fit to be around kids.

i am SO sick and tired of hearing about cruel and abusive parents like the ones recently caught who were keeping their TEENAGED sons in caged-in cribs wearing diapers, or the baby who starved to death at 8 weeks of age because his mother was watering down his formula to save money. (she *claimed* she didn't understand the directions -- no charges were laid, the judge said it was a "needless tragedy that shouldn't have happened").

why is it that we need to have proven certifications for driving, for doing certain jobs, even for looking after other ppl's kids, but any sick psychopath or sub-normal halfwit with the necessary equipment can produce victim after victim?

children shouldn't be an unqualified right, but an earned privilege!

[ladyrowan]

I can see your point, it would save a lot of suffering, but wouldn't it be a bit difficult to police?

It would mean enforced contraception, and as we all know, none of them are 100% foolproof except for, perhaps, sterilisation. What then - enforced abortion?

I also think it would be seen as an infringement on the rights of the majority of parents who are doing a good job in a difficult world.

I don't know what the answer is though; we've tried education, and social workers aren't always able to spot the kids at risk.

BB

[threenorns]

it's not so much that social workers aren't "able" to spot the kids at risk, but that many of them are either not qualified to begin with (i know too many of those!), or their personal agendas conflict with the child's interest (such as this rot they've got going now about "keeping the family together", which is why manitoba is forcing two little girls to visit their father (jailed for molesting their older sister), or there's too many legal fingers in the pie (worker vs police vs judge vs parents).

i think one trick might be to make it excessively attractive to remain childless or become a certified parent, and very unattractive to be an uncertified parent, maybe through tax incentives, benefits, and bonuses.

perhaps they could increase the baby bonus (child tax credit) to parents who have taken courses and so on to improve their parenting skills, and perhaps they could offer something similar to couples or singles with no children at all. parents who haven't taken the course would get the base amount, period.

[Myst]

I have to chuckle at people who swear CAS and other government agencies have the "best intentions" and "care about kids", or that "there's certain guidelines they have to follow legally". Knowing two people who've had their children taken away and kept from them... One who had to go through years of court visits and still didn't get the baby back because the mother was "unfit" (she was on various drugs for her depression, etc.) and another who's two babies were taken because his wife punched him in the face one night (and thus they're unfit parents)... AND living near the CAS' building which is huge, elaborate, high-tech, with perfect gardens and a full playground and several stories... well I have to wonder.

[EasternPriest]

Anytime the government controls anything...a bit of liberty dies...

[threenorns]

...there's a fine line between "liberty" and "anarchy".

NOBODY has true "liberty", because one's rights end where another's begins.

should the mother's "right" to party it up and get drunk or stoned whenever she likes supersede the baby's right to be born as healthy as possible?

should the father's "right" to smoke three packs a day supersede the infant's right to not get pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, or worse?

unfortunately, it's become quite clear to me over the years that one's "right" to be a parent supersedes the child's right to not be abused, deprived, or neglected, judging by the number of times children have been returned to criminally abusive parents with often fatal results.