How about this : Temporarily Sterilize everyone ....

[UndertheOcean]

After the technology to do so is available of course.

Any prospective parent would have to apply for a license , and if deemed fit will be supplied with an antidote to allow him/her to reproduce. oh , and both couples must obtain said licenses.

Solves 50% of the ills that plague our society .... way better than the current order of any two dimwits being able to reproduce , and on the plus side : Makes the Abortion discussion moot .

[rwheeler31]

1. ok Will it pass in the Senate?

[aSpeckofDust]

2. Actually the rich already tried to do that to the common man. It's true. N/t

[yodoobo]

3. No thanks

[orpupilofnature57]

4. NWO , no matter how you enamor it.

[vadawg]

5. yeah and guess who would get to decide who gets a licence

i think the nazis had a similar idea in the last century, who decides who can have a child, who decides how many children you can have, no i sorry this is a fucking scarey idea...

[Odin2005]

6. Eugenicist BS.

Such BS would likely ban me form ever having kids because I have Asperger's Syndrome and autistic traits are genetic.

[Brigid]

7. George Orwell? Is that you?

Who would decide these matters? Yikes.

[Solly Mack]

8. I think you've been under too long

[Texasgal]

9. Ummm... WTF???

Seriously?

[Warpy]

10. Oh, goody, eugenics!

That's the kind of crap that led to the Nazi craziness. It was wildly popular in the early years of the last century and I guess it's back.

The problem is that our genetics are just a little too complicated to control in that manner. Geniuses give birth to retarded children and occasionally people of relatively low intelligence give birth to geniuses. In addition, there are a lot of genetically transmitted diseases and susceptibility to diseases that we haven't even gotten mapped yet, let alone are able to diagnose accurately in prospective parents.

However, I know a way to eliminate 90% of the ills in our society. Just make it illegal to mind anybody's business but your own.

[anonymous171]

59. Eugenics always creeps back whever the income disparity widens

The rich don't like the idea of the proles breeding.

[REP]

11. How about just fewer hoops to jump through for a voluntary sterilization?

It took me several years to be sterilized simply because I have no children. I'm not the only one, either.

[Pool Hall Ace]

33. I'm another one who was told but but but you'll change your miiiiiind.

You'd make such a goood moooother.

Some of us are good at deciding for ourselves that we should be permanently sterilized, so yes, make it easier!

[Hutzpa]

12. I like these onion discussion

:rofl:

[The Straight Story]

13. How about we legalize letting consenting adults go to a bar that allows smoking?

:shrug:

[UndertheOcean]

14. You know guys that I am not talking about "Genetic" fitness , whatever that means ...

[unkachuck]

15. birth permits....

....would offer more choice and freedom to the average citizen and would be less intrusive....

[vadawg]

16. rofl, yeah but there would still be some government bee telling you if you could or not...

what about people who plan to have lots of kids, would the worker have to give them more permits....

[unkachuck]

19. each couple....

....would be allowed two birth permits (others would be issued in case of premature death of the child)....birth permits would be voluntary like a marriage license is today....

....producing children without a birth permit would cost you tax breaks and other societal benefits, possibly even a fine....I believe most people would comply after a long educational campaign explaining the horrors of over-population....

[vadawg]

20. lol what if you have ahem more than one partner so to speak

is it two per partner, yeah id rather take the hit on the tax breaks thatn have some government busybody tell me how many kids i can have.....

[mamaleah]

40. And who gets to decide who gets the permits?

It's funny how the "intellectual elite" think they will be the folks who get to decide.

[vadawg]

44. lol its the same when people talk about a revolution, they always assume they will be in control

i think most of the people who would call for the overthrow of the government would be the first against the wall when the new government came to power, if you will rise to throw down one government then whats to stop you doing the same again...

[mamaleah]

45. It's almost funny except that their arrogance is so great

you almost want to pity them while laughing.

[vadawg]

49. unfortunately that was our reaction when they said crap like this back in the 1930's

we laughed at them and didnt realise they were serious... hopefully this time if this crap ever comes up we will recognise it for what it is...

[mamaleah]

51. Ah but they believe their motives are different.

They are doing this for people's own good. Pop control and whatnot.

I would gladly join any resistance against any sort of nonsense like this.

[unkachuck]

46. who....

....gets to decide who receives a marriage license today? You meet some conditions/formalities and then you receive your birth permit....

[mamaleah]

48. Again

I am sure you think that your standards would be the standards used. So I suppose you have never entertained the idea that your standards might be thrown out the window and then you might become the target of your very idea?

[unkachuck]

52. I'm advocating no standards....

....let society through their elected officials decides the standards, like a blood-test, etc....

[mamaleah]

54. Uh-huh. Because you honestly believe the conservative nutsies will never ever be in power again.

Or maybe you just like the idea of living like a Nazi.

[unkachuck]

55. "Or maybe you just like the idea of living like a Nazi."

....to the contrary....I see endless wars as an ever-increasing world population fights over the last remaining drop of oil, acre of tillable land or glass of drinkable water....

....the world has finite resources and capabilities; how do you propose we not exceed those resources and capabilities as a species? Are you're advocating nuclear war a solution?

[vadawg]

57. nope my solution is even easier and immediate, everyone who is really for population decrease

immediately off themselves in as environmentally friendly way as possible, it will lower the population, act as a wake up call to the rest of us, and will lower the carbon footprint of the planet. Anything else you propose just seems hypocritical....

[mamaleah]

61. Like all the good intellectuals, their ideas are never for themselves. Just everyone else.

Everyone else should be sterilized. They are more intelligent and thus will produce more intelligent a responsible spawn. They know better than we do. Just bow to you betters and don't anger them!

[Quantess]

17. I have entertained this idea before.

Obviously it's not a great solution to unwanted children and overpopulation, and the problems related to that. But, it's no worse than the wway things are now.

Once there exists the medical technology to render people sterile until they voluntarily become fertile, I think we could skip the license part.

[SPedigrees]

24. The license is the most important aspect, considering the statistics on child abuse.

You have to be judged a fit pet owner to adopt a dog, and a safe driver to be given a license to operate a motor vehicle. Surely similar criteria should apply to being entrusted with the well-being of a human child.

[vadawg]

27. lol and pray tell how you can discern a child abuser or is it a question on the form

Are you a child abuser??? an awful lot of the abuse i see comes from people who dont have signs saying they are abusers so im interested in how the government would decide whos an abuser or would it be down to socioeconomic or cultural ties...

[Quantess]

60. I'm not even going to check your profile before guessing you're a man.

Sorry if I'm mistaken.

I am a woman, and I'm sure I am not the only one who has fantasized about some medical technology that will make us sterile until we want to get pregnant. For a woman to take the extra step to undo her technologically-created infertility to be fertile, would mean that she wants to raise a child.

The "license" to have a child is something that would be granted, but could be taken away...no that doesn't make sense, because if you get pregnant, no one should stop you from carrying through the pregnancy.

You mean, a license to raise a child? That must be what you meant.

[quinnox]

18. It may happen in the future

When the planet gets 20 - 30 billion people or more then lets see what happens.

[vadawg]

21. probuably if we get to that stage we will either die off, kill each other

or it will force us to look outwards, my nature is to look outward so i hope it would force us to our destiny in the stars....

[SPedigrees]

29. I suspect we will bring about our own end before we smarten up and limit our numbers.

We will render the earth unfit for most animal life, save algae and cockroaches. We're well on our way to that end now, having altered the world's weather patterns and built an island of garbage the size of Texas in the Pacific ocean.

[Odin2005]

34. The world population will peak at 8 or 9 billion according to the UN.

[SPedigrees]

22. I've been a proponent of this for years. nt

[vadawg]

23. well hopefully you are living your principles and have no plans for any kids until they get the prog

program running...

[SPedigrees]

30. I am 60 years old and childless by choice. I am not a part of the problem. nt

[vadawg]

32. well thats cool i can use your permits then, i just need to find a few more people and ill be cool

ill call it carbon copy offsets :)

[Arugula Latte]

25. Can we permanently sterilize Mormons, fundies and anti-choice Catholics?

They want to take away other people's rights; we should take away theirs.

[UndertheOcean]

26. Help yourself ... :)

[vadawg]

28. yeah in the end it you would just be the same as the nazis in the 30's

if someone dosent agree with you, kill them off....

[Arugula Latte]

35. Not killing 'em -- STERILIZING 'em.

They can't have offspring then.

If they want to dictate that women can't have abortions and gays can't have marriage, then I think I should have the right to dictate that they don't reproduce.

Fair is fair, right?

[vadawg]

41. yeah you do realise that the nazis wanted to sterilize people they disagreed with

so they could be workers but eventually their race would die out.

[Arugula Latte]

47. And you do realize I have a snowball's chance in hell of actually sterilizing people

Unlike these religious loony tunes, who have succeeded in denying gay people basic rights and have severely curtailed abortion rights.

[mamaleah]

42. That was the Nazis plans for the Polish.

Enjoy your bedfellows.

Going to be a little sad if the idea ever went through and then the Christian Right was in control and denied permits to anyone who was not with them, won't it?

[SPedigrees]

31. I could get on board with that! nt

[treestar]

38. Both the Duggars

And Octomom, too.

[eShirl]

36. "if deemed fit" by whom, and under what criteria?

This is a grammar school level conversation.

[mamaleah]

37. Thats what the GOP wants to do to the poor. Congrats on joining their ranks.

Enjoy rolling around with the slime much?

[quaker bill]

39. No, but

If the government can regulate the use of female reproductive organs, then they should be able to regulate the male counterpart (reproductively capable units only - caveat included expressly to deregulate myself). I am thinking we should require permits here with severe penalties for unauthorized discharge, even more severe penalties for unauthorized discharge resulting in pregnancy. It only seems fair in an equal rights sense. My thought is that once you imply that the same principle which gives the government the right to exert jurisdication over a woman's body could, should, and will be applied to males, the right to abortion will become something like a religious sacrament or essential freedom to be protected at all costs.

[vadawg]

43. i think some people miss the point on abortion, to a lot of the people against it

its because of the belief that its a child, whether you agree with that or not you will not change those minds especially with the advances in medical science. Now for some its about control ill give you that but to pretend that everyone who does not like the idea of abortions is a control the women type is wrong...

[quaker bill]

62. The point is not what people prefer

The people prefer a great many things for a wide variety of reasons. The question is more over government jurisdiction. Government control over abortion is the establishment of a right of government to control the woman's body over her objections. I simply suggest we apply the principle more broadly. If the proper use of a person's uterus can be regulated, why not establish the same regulatory authority over the proper use of penis and testicles?

I think the potential fine for "unauthorized discharge resulting in pregnancy" could and should be applied to the abortion or other expenses borne by the woman carrying the pregnancy to term and delivering the child, at her sole discretion. Place all the risk on the male side of the equation, make him fully responsible for what he does with that stuff. If she wants to keep the child, the sentence for "unauthorized discharge" is that he pays for it.

Of course, this is all a sci-fi mind game. Any attempt to apply the principle in law that establishes government jurisdiction over a uterus to the penis and testicles, would be soundly defeated if it were ever brought forward. But bringing it forward could point out exactly how intrusive on individual freedom the current regulation of women actually is.

[bluetrain]

50. Why make it temporary? We're obviously regressing as a species. Let's put a quick end to this farce

[tmyers09]

53. How about providing free/low cost abortions

for people under 18? I don't think any teenager could conceivably be ready enough to carry a child. This would make the pro-lifers flip their shit though.

[dysfunctional press]

56. you don't get to watch much maury, do you...?

there seem to be a LOT of girls in the 14-16 range that think that a baby would be the solution to all their problems.

[anonymous171]

58. Anyone who belongs to any group that I dislike should not be allowed to reproduce. nt