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Varlan Allan

Teacher,

TEDCRED 10+

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Debate: Having children should be regulated or licensed

We need a license to drive a car, to run a business or to become part of professional bodies. Why on earth would we leave something as difficult and demanding of thought, care and responsibility to those that may not be fit to do so?
Too often those who should not have children do have them, often leaving the child ill prepared and in many cases a burden upon society. Should there not be some psychological evaluation people should take before they are deemed capable of performing the responsibilities required of a parent?

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Closing Statement from Varlan Allan

Thanks to everyone for contributing to this conversation. It was difficult to think such aspects of human life need to be considered in our current society, but we have all imparted valuable perspectives and considered the logic of such possibilities.

Ultimately, society will decide what is best for itself. But we must not deter from asking the difficult questions and what its impact could mean for the future stability of our global community.

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  • carolyn mcauley 10+

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    Nov 13 2012: Not the very first time I have encountered this" :idea". Everyone is terrified about such a measurement for your potential skill as a parent...Everyone imagines the most extreme evils,and mutations of an idea surrounding a study on good parent prospects...why? Why when there is a suggestion,we imagine eugenics,or humanity on trial for its own sanity...I will propose our emotional rantings are entirely because not many of us would intially pass a parenting course..We cover up our irrational world,with a blanket of blaming politics and everyone in international marketing of numerous ideologies...but I suspect our fear is based entirely on our self awareness few of us have lived up to our own words...and we would fail a partenting test....Now this is not a blame game..in the end we are part of the construct we live in,so a confusing world would create many confused mediocre parents...so calm down about blame....rather then create a test most would intially fail...what if we start to think about this relationship as more important,say then being fat,or pretty...and lets prepare for the test..even though we will never agree to have one.

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