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| quote: | Originally posted by MarkT
^^^ the same is true for ANY parent who does not adequately care for their children.
if we legislate against the mentally ill, then we must legislate against EVERY parent who would be unfit...teens, drug addicts, alcoholics, the economically challenged, the intellecually challenged, and even those who simply won't be "good parents".
from a practical standpoint, it's virtually impossible...so the answer remains that yes they should be allowed, but they (or their families) ought to exhibit some common sense and refrain from having children if they can't provide for them, just as any "normal" person should exercise the same judgement. |
You think a mentally handicapped individual who quite possibly hears voices in their head is going to "exhibit common sense"? If you ask me, that seems like quite an irrational expectation given the circumstances.
This isn't a debate about legislating against mentally handicapped having children, this is a question of whether you feel a mentally handicapped person is fit to have children, and resultingly should be allowed to have them.
In regards to solution, what Sean said about people being required to take a test or sign a document, I think, is a great idea. There should be some kind of public involvement when it comes to bringing in new lives to our country. Who is going to defend a baby that cannot do anything for itself, and is in the wrong hands?
You can easily say "who cares? It's not our problem", but in the end, it will be. These people will become adults and will be dysfunctional, some may go on welfare because they cannot handle reality, others may leech of the medical systems searching for help. Then you might get the seemingly healthy people, but really have irrational fears, or slight psychosis of their own and they go bizerk and shoot people at their school.
This affects you in the end. You pay the taxes for the welfare, you deal with long waiting lines and extremely high prices to see doctors and psychologists. You have to put up with the co-worker who twitches unusually, or shouts for no reason. You have to attend the funerals of the people they killed because they snapped.
I am not saying it's all inevitable, I am saying that these are all possible effects because of the particular cause. And why? Because of bad parenting, and the premise that "it's not our responsibility".
I suppose this argument can be extended to anyone who is unfit to be a parent. Shouldn't there be a way to stop this?! Perhaps there should be an IQ test, and a parenting course that needs to be taken? Perhaps there should be a minimum level of income to have kids?
I mean, it certainly isn't like we're hurting for more people. The world is over populated, and with the way things are going, we wont have any fresh water to survive off of in less than 10 years (unless the morons in office start doing something about it!! But of course that just isn't right because they are taking away our freedom to drink and waste all the water we like, so who gives a shit about the people it affects later right? Even if it will be ourselves.)
I admire China for putting in their law in regards to children. It sucks that they continue to have tonnes of boys (some to unfit parents I'm sure), but the fact that China recognized the problem (of over-crowding) and took action against it is admirable.
Meh, that's a whole different topic on its own.
I would like to know if there is anyone who speaks from first hand experience and was raised by someone who has a Mental Disability?
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