Introduction
Thesis statement: Therefore, I propose that individuals wishing to become parents must first complete a course which prepares them for parenthood and determines their suitability as parents before they are able to conceive.
Conclusion
It remains a constant source of confusion as to why anyone can have children but to own a dog, you are required to have a license. I propose that individuals must undertake a course which procures them a license before they are allowed to conceive a child. This is due to the shockingly high numbers of child abuse and malpractice that goes on across the world today. According to Childhelp – an organisation dedicated to the protection of children – in 2009, around 3.3 million child abuse reports were made involving roughly 6 million children, in America alone (Childhelp). Shockingly, by comparison, only 3 to 4 million dogs are killed through abuse every year (Ernst). Now, the word ‘only’ is used here to demonstrate comparative numbers between dogs and children being abused – 3 to 4 million dogs is still a horribly high number, but the point is made that whilst licenses are required to house a dog, anyone can have a child and fail to care for it as a result. Therefore, I propose that individuals wishing to become parents must first complete a course which prepares them for parenthood and determines their suitability as parents before they are able to conceive.
For this to be an effective course of action, it is important to consider what factors help to make an individual a successful parent. It is unfair to suggest that if a woman wants to have a child on her own then she is unsuitable, equally the same applies to LGBT couples – ultimately, the course must be a determination of an individual or a couple’s ability to love and care for a child. Understandably, everyone will have their own unique way of raising children as everything brings a different set of skills and personality traits to the table. However, there are specific key skills which can significantly prove an individual’s ability to look after a child thoroughly. Some people are bound to have a ‘sound parental instinct’ which will make their job far easier – this can be broken down into “a combination of inclinations, experiments and things we have learned from our own parents” (Clifford-Poston 4). In practice, simply just saying ‘yes’ does not necessarily mean caring. At the end of the day, it is important to remember that children need parents because without them, children would just eat junk food and never learn about responsibility or how to care for themselves, even when that choice is more boring. Therefore, an individual’s ability to say ‘no’ and maintain control in a calm and measured way is just as important as someone who is happy to dish out hugs and candy canes. The course would teach future parents these practical skills which will help to mould them into functional, practical parents who are able to manage behaviour whilst also still ensuring their child’s happiness.
As important as teaching individuals how to be good parents, is ascertaining whether those individuals also have the correct personality, background and temperament to be healthy parental figures. For instance, if an individual has a criminal record which pertains to them having a violent history or an aggressive personality, they may need to go the extra mile to prove that they are capable parents. Of course, it is unfair to prejudice against those who may have had a chequered past but are not healthy, functioning members of society but, the purpose of the course would be to determine how good a parent they would be and as such, they would need to prove that they would not raise their child to be a dysfunctional individual and/or behave abusively towards them. For people without the immediacy of a clean record, the course could also teach them key skills in social situations that they would then, hopefully, pass on to their child in turn.
The key idea behind this proposal is that it would prepare individuals for parenthood, greatly diminish the numbers of child abuse figures, and potentially limit the cost of crime as the generations grew older. According to one study conducted at Iowa University, a single murder costs society the better part of $17.25 million when considering victim costs, legal expenses and incarceration; rapes total at $448,532; robbery at $335,733; and burglary at $41,288 (Blow). Stunningly, this is per crime and the total annual cost of crime is a staggeringly high figure as a consequence. By controlling who can become parents, the state is effectively bringing these costs down as young people who are socialised into criminal households would be eliminated as future criminal expenditure. This in turn, means that the course could be offered for free as it would effectively save the government money in the long run. My proposal would significantly decrease the chances of child abuse occurring as well as limiting the future criminal generation by removing the criminal element from those who are ‘allowed’ to procreate legally.
References
“Animal Use and Abuse Statistics: the shocking numbers.” Stephanie Ernst. Change.org. 5 Oct. 2008. Web. 22 July 2011.
“National Child Abuse Statistics.” Childhelp.org. Childhelp. 2011. Web. 22 July 2011.
Blow, Charles M. “High Cost of Crime.” New York Times 8 Oct. 2010. Web. 22 July 2011.
Clifford-Poston, Andrea. The secrets of successful parenting: understand what your child's behaviour is really telling you. Oxford: How To Books Ltd, 2001. Print.
