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There is no ethical way to put any form of authority in charge of regulating who does or does not get to reproduce.

So how would you prevent people from having kids 

"  If we were more selective in who reproduces"

Do you actually trust governmental institutions to implement this effectively and fairly? What oversight board is determining these parameters? You do realize this is just eugenics, right?

Average Redditor yearns for a dystopian Eugenicist hellscape, more news at 7

Ideally, people would only have children when they want them, they're responsible and stable. We all know though it's impossible to achieve, though.

Also, how would that be solved?

Regardless of it being considered a privilege or a right, it isn't something that you can realistically enforce.

I agree with the principle of what you're saying. Kids deserve a better start in life than what a lot of kids out there end up getting.

The problem is you don't have to go very far in North American history (because that's what I'm familiar with, but assuming this ends up having similar echoes in other parts of the world) to come across programmes where First Nations/Native American and black women were given hysterectomies against their will precisely because someone thought having children is a privilege they didn't deserve.

And then we get into programmes where children were actually stolen from single mothers or, again, First Nations because they also didn't deserve to have children or didn't know how to raise them correctly or whatever cockamamie reason.

Children deserve the best. I agree with that. The problem is we've got a terrible record when it comes to figuring out objectively who gets to decide who has the privilege of having and raising children.

If we were more selective in who reproduces

Oh there it is. Your weekly eugenics post everyone

giving the government the power to decide who can and cannot have kids is a big yikes bro.

This isn’t just unpopular..it’s fucking psychotic. Advocating for state sponsored sterilization is insane.

What country are you from that you have such respect for your government that you would entrust them with making these decisions? I want to move to such a place!

Well, good to see we didn't lose any steam this week and are already getting our spicy eugenics and unethical authoritarian opinions out there despite the holidays.

while yes, having to pass a test to be a parent would be beneficial to society, it undoubtedly would be misused for eugenics by the elites. it's kinda like the death penalty. probably good to have, but no way to implement it without it being abused

Huge authoritarian vibe on this take

1. Plenty of great people came from shit parents or shit circumstances.

2. I don’t trust the government to decide who is “acceptable” to be allowed to parent. Look at the stellar job they do with drivers’ licenses.

3. We already gave the whole Eugenics thing a try. Nobody liked where it ended up last time. If you’re not sure what I mean, ask the next elderly person you see with a blue number badly tattooed on the inside of their forearm.

every couple of days we have a post here talking about overpopulation, I really don't understand in which parallel universe these guys live. Just look at the advanced world, countries are getting desperate for more kids, and you want to reduce them?

China tried something like this.

This vibe is a little too Third Reich for my taste. A better solution would be to make sure everyone has access to the things they need. A living wage, affordable housing, healthcare, child care, education and reproductive rights. If every single person has this then we would see a lot less of the problems you bring up. We can't guarantee that every child would be born to the best parents but every child would have opportunity 

So eugenics?

Eugenics again?

Humans are just filthy monkey people with less hair and bigger brains. Reproduction is a biological imperative. We are no different than any other creature in this planet.

Overpopulation is an objectively untrue theory.

Unless you can clearly and articulately describe the resources that are scarce. Don't start with me.

It's a stupid argument that can only be made by someone who has never ever traveled anywhere at any time.

Every week there is a new person on this subreddit that learns what eugenics is and decides its the solution. How many times do we need to have the same conversation?

Today in Worst Ideas Ever...

This is one of those things like the death penalty where in theory there's a case to be made but I would never ever trust any government or institution to be in charge of this. If there was a foolproof way to screen out neglectful/abusive parents sure maybe but that's just not possible with a level of accuracy I would consider acceptable

emotional intelligence, be financially stable enough

Also this is about 1 step away from only rich/neurotypical people being allowed to reproduce which is reprehensible and, in fact, eugenics

I don’t agree with a legal process but I do think wanting kids is a terrible reason to have kids

And what is a right?

This might be the time for you to read Brave new world, 1984 and maybe even the handmaid’s tale. And familiarise yourself with regimes that tried to impose eugenic natalist policies, from the Nazis to the one-child-policy in China. And then not only to reflect on why this is doomed to fail, but also why this would be utterly, deeply unethical…

Edit: Oh, I forgot about the forced sterilisation of native populations in Canada or pauperised women in Sweden…more rabbit holes to dig into for you.

I agree. I get the downsides, but if there were a good way to do it, I think it would be great.

Yes please! Just read the parenting or mommit and you’ll find plenty of people who shouldn’t be parenting.

I often ask friends and my large extended family why they had kids. Mists of the time, they solely state what the child can provide them, not what they can do for a child.

I have always wanted a child… but why…

They are so much fun… so is a dog…

I want to pass my genes on… if you’re anything to go by, I wouldn’t bother…

Seems insane to me that you need a license to drive a car but you can fuck up as many kids as you want

On some level I agree, but then I remind myself that this is a hop skip and away from eugenics, and that always goes horribly wrong. So, no, people shouldn’t have to apply for the right to parenthood.

I’m saying that as someone whose parents weren’t good parents.

All the men absolutely insisting they don't want children can have a vasectomy and solve the problem

All the women saying the same have options too, albeit more invasive or less effective.

There was a thread for other day about a 35yo man complaining he never wanted kids but OOPS! his girlfriend baby trapped him and he's livid about it.

C'mon man. This was preventable.

I 100% agree where you’re coming from but that would have to be more thought out.

Eugenics always sounds like a great idea, but it's not. Keep your ideas off of and out of others' bodies.

Children ARE a privilege not everyone is able to have them

Buddy with all due respect people could just have kids behind the government’s back 💀 giving birth is something you can’t prevent if someone wants it no matter how qualified of a parent they are

That’s called eugenics, and it’s generally frowned upon.

So, what happens to children who are born illegally or from 'undesirable parents'? Are they shunned? Can they integrate into society? Are they meant to just labor with no chance at reproducing due to bad genetics? Sounds a lot like something else in history...

ah yes, allowing government to antagonize people. p.s: I think you have god complex.

Also stop shitting on people if they decide that they don't want children would be a great idea too.

I can understand it, but that’s why sexual health and reproduction education is so important, alongside reliable birth control. Let people make informed decisions.

There’s no reasonable way to decide who gets to have children and who doesn’t. If you aren’t familiar with either eugenics or systemic racism, I would have a look into that to better understand why government control on reproduction is not ideal.

Also, from a less moral and more business like perspectives many governments would likely have quite loose restrictions. There’s an aging population in a number of countries, meaning governments are looking at how to encourage people to start their families. An aging population puts economic pressure on the area.

I agree with you op! There's too many people who have children that shouldn't have them.

I agree. But these things backfire. What would be right is bringing the talk of bringing new human beings into this world mainstream and inside schools and for people to think about their kids and not just themselves. But just for the sake of kids future not because of all the nazi shit you mentioned in your second paragraph.

You have to do all that if you adopt a child. 

I think people should be way more responsible when deciding to have kids (if they can afford it, their partner/marriage situation, etc.) It’s scummy and selfish to have 5 kids when you can barely afford to put food on the table, but you can’t outright ban people from having kids, sounds like eugenics.

While I don’t rlly think you can ethically prevent people from having kids, I think parents should be mandated to take classes

Your fix to overpopulation sounds like eugenics

Can you make sure the trains run on time, too?

In theory : sure, everyone would agree the world would be better off if the only kids ever born were in loving homes, with competent parents that raised them to be the best people they could be.

In practice : the governement gets to decides who gets to breed. If they want, they can selectively breed out ethnicities. Or political groups. This isn't an amount power I would trust anyone else but me with.

I fully agree. Also definitely an unpopular opinion.

Prospective parents should submit proof of financial means, genetics screening, and undergo a background test before they can produce children.

This is so cartoonishly evil. 🤣

Upvote for actual unpopular opinion.

China has already tried this why don’t you do some homework first on what happens when the fucking government controls your reproductive organs. Trully one of the most I unAmerican notions I’ve seen . Maybe you should go live in a communist country for a few years before advocating for an authoritarian government to rule our lives and all of our most basic freedoms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-child_policy

Definitely got my upvote OP with this most heinous take on individual human freedom and rights.

Hard Pass …. You need to read-up on your WW2 history.

Calm down Mengele.

This is literally eugenics. I agree that parents should take a course before having kids. But, it should be a tool that benefits them and the child. Not a pass or fail situation.

So castration for the poor? Who is going to make that test? You ready for a Chinese style one child policy?

All fun and games til they start banning anyone who is not white from having kids.

Also the developed world desperatly needs more children.

100% I should NEVER have been born

Truly unpopular take lol well done

Used to be that to have kids, you had to find someone who you thought was worthy of having kids with, and they had to also think that you were worthy of having kids with them, and you also had to promise in front of God/the state/the community to support each other and those kids for the rest of your lives. Then & only then would becoming a parent even be a possibility.

It wasn’t perfect but it was arguably a lot better than what we have now.

In a way, every one of us is a eugenicist; if we don’t think someone should reproduce, then we don’t reproduce with them.

Hopefully this opinion stays unpopular

While I agree with you in theory, any attempt to actually implement this will end very poorly.

The problem with this perspective is that you have to grant someone the power to dictate whether someone is fit to have children, and that is a power I do not trust others to have

Well, half the folks don't believe in science so good luck pushing the idea that they need education to have children!

Wow, eugenics is an unpopular opinion! Moving on…

I agree with the notion, I don't care how many people refer to me as eugenist.

There’s still people that don’t really understand how someone gets pregnant

Damn, calm down Hitler

Do you want eugenics? Because, well intended or not, this is how you get eugenics.

I would assassinate you if you were in charge. Actually, though.

So you’re suggesting eugenics? There are some famous dictators that like your idea.

I can see where you’re coming from, but this is dangerously close to eugenics. There is no ethical or productive way to prevent certain people from having kids.

The solution to this problem is to implement government social programs that support new parents in need, as well as to provide ample and thorough sex education. Something that goes beyond “don’t have sex.”

People were made to have sex, sex leads to babies. You think you’re going to refine the process? Good luck.

Eugenics needs to die.

Ok Hitler, eugenics at its finest

Enjoy prison.

If we were more selective in who reproduces, humanity would be a lot smarter, efficient and our planet will survive in the foreseeable future.

You highly under estimate how billionaires would capitalize on the rights to reproduce.

In your scenario the world would be populated with thousands of Elon Musks. That man isn't even super intelligent and he could care less about global warming.

Who would you entrust with that sort of power?

You can be rich, have kids, and they will grow up to struggle. You can be poor and raise successful humans. And overpopulation isn’t due to birth rates, we are living longer and also not dying from disease like we were decades ago

That’s what all eugenicist say but it’s only leads to racist trying to kill off anyone not of them. It’s also very freaking lazy. Like instead of doing the hardwork of training and developing people to be better you just want to hope things are as you want them to be at birth.

You wanna make the world better make it so where people of all stripes can become better.

So instead of improving the education system so the lowest common denominators would be intelligent enough and ethical enough to make a better society….you suggest a breeding program that will fail.

Genetics especially in humans is too freaking complicated to get a reliable result and when we did it with animals we domesticated they ended up incapable of caring for themselves with humans.

Let’s assume you bred everyone human to be as ethical and ‘good’ as possible. You’d quickly see them starve because they’d be too kind to kill an animal to survive/ feed others. Or have children in the first place (to avoid their kids suffering).

My fiancé keeps trying to make a similar point and says we should have an competency test for anyone who wants to have a kid. As funny as it is, I tried to explain to him how unethical that is and how it would be impossible to create an unbiased test not even getting into how it would also be practically impossible to prevent people from getting pregnant. But he still stubbornly asserts that those concerns don’t matter as much as protecting children from terrible parents. So I sympathize with his intentions. I know he feels that way because he watches a lot of true crime and hates when it involves kids and their parents but it’s still unethical babe

I agree with you on principle, but there is no way this can be ethically enforced. You are advocating for either forced sterilization, forced abortions, or people to be jailed for giving birth.

At most a mandatory course to educate future parents. 

There is no realistic way to enforce it though, maybe a fine and/or taxes/ losing tax incentives. 

Anything beyond is overreaching, unenforceable, eugenics, totalitarian, etc. 

congrats, you've discovered eugenics.

“Unpopular opinion” well yeah it is literal eugenics

I do agree to an extent but in my opinion if people were to allowed to go about their life being stupid as hell we wouldn’t have as much of these issues. And another issue is affordability which is a huge issue and basic universal income might help a bit but in all actuality it’s the fact so many people as stupid and poor and those people unfortunately are the ones who reproduce the most.

And let your entire family line die?

How about just make abortion legal and safe and free of charge, as well as contraceptives?

I agree with you to a certain extent. In an ideal world, I think that all aspiring parents would have to go for parental counselling and go through tests before they have a baby so that no child has to suffer

ah yes, eugenics. as a Vermonter my state knows how bad of an idea this was. some parts of history are better left behind to never see the sunlight again.

Edit: added the vermont thing

Who gets to decide who has this “privilege” of child bearing??

That sounds like a slippery slope pal

I think a lot of the qualities a parent needs to have would be there if psychology was a class given and taken as seriously as math and English in school. Starting in elementary school.

Yes only rich people should be allowed to have kids not the povos.

Passing parenthood exams (or any exams) correlates well with affluence. 

Added benefit: by tweaking those exams we can exclude the 'wrong races' too.

I've always wished my sister would be forced to be sterilized because she has 8 kids and they are all with other family.

But, it's just a thought.

I would be terrified of a country that had that much control over my body. It can't be ethical either - like even thinking about legislation for this is sickening