License to Procreate?

I don’t know about anyone else, but I am sick of reality shows like Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant, along with talk shows like The Maury Show showcasing and therefore glorifying unplanned pregnancies, especially those of teens and young adults.

This is just one of many modern-day forms of social decay that has led to the deterioration and desensitization of America.

One must get a license to drive, get married, fish, hunt, to own a dog, and in some locations, to scavenge through trash – what I’d like to see instituted is a license to procreate.

Think about the stringent guidelines and prerequisites people must meet in order to just adopt or foster a child. I believe that just because someone is able to reproduce, it doesn’t mean they always should, especially if the conditions are not right to do so.

I am not a big advocate of government regulations; such as the issues of marriage equality or abortion – I believe that is a personal choice that lies with the people involved.

I feel it is very irresponsible when it comes to girls and women having children because of failing to use protection or to save a dying relationship. It upsets me that a lot of the time the tax payers have to foot the bill for these bad choices. 

I’ve even heard stories of women purposely getting pregnant multiple times to garner public assistance; how is that fair to the families who can actually support children, but cannot have them due to medical problems?

Why not make everyone go through a rigorous application process to have children?

 

Think about this for a moment…

 

One has to apply for and must meet certain criteria with income and credit to either rent or buy a home; same thing with a car, or any other major purchase.

Today, a lot of employers require background checks and drug testing to acquire employment and associated benefits; some employers even test for tobacco usage and psychological stability.

How is procreation licensing any different?

I believe it is of a higher priority than a job, home or car – after all, you are bringing a life into this world and should have the ways to support and raise a child properly.

You might be wondering at this point about how many children I have – that answer is one.

I was nineteen years old when I found myself in the midst of an unplanned pregnancy; I knew at that young age that I wasn’t able to raise or support my child. I wanted my daughter to have a better life, so I gave her up in an open adoption.

I had no fears or apprehensions once I made that decision; I simply saw I could not tackle my life independently, let alone take care of another life along the way.

Almost twenty-three years later I see the wonderful life my daughter has and I am thankful I had the wisdom and courage to give her up.

I understand the bureaucratic red tape that my daughter’s family went through to adopt, and I honestly believe it should be that way for anyone wanting to have children – it only makes sense.

I can only speculate about how this might affect society.

Perhaps one of the biggest effects would be a significant drop in public assistance. I would like to think that the number of needy and homeless children would also diminish, as would medical costs. Cases of child abuse and neglect might also go down, because who would want to abuse a child that they went through such measures to bring into this world?

Of course we do not live in a perfect world – sometimes hardships happen.

Maybe a family might need that extra helping hand and need to go on public assistance after having children due to a job loss. It wouldn’t be used as a way of life, as some do today, but as a crutch until the family was able to properly make ends meet once again – which was the original intent of the program.

So what if someone violated the law and got pregnant without licensing?

I would like to think that mandatory parenting, social and living skills, money management and basic psychology classes for the expectant parents would be required.

When someone is on public assistance, after a while Job and Family Services mandate some form of job training or that person / family risks losing benefits – this would be no different.

Also, I believe that a seminar on other options such as guardianship, adoption and yes, even abortion – because sometimes that is an option, as well as the fact that unfortunately rape can cause pregnancy.
I know my opinions on procreation licensing are not wildly popular, but I also believe that a lot of people just might agree with me.

I leave you with a simple, yet complex question to ponder:

 

Would I be approved if I were to apply to adopt or foster a child?