"And Gulliver Returns" Book 1 Reversing Overpopulation--The Planet's Doomsday Threat
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”Well, let me see who the opponents of any type of licensing might be. It is obvious that business wants more customers, so that they might be an enemy. The conservative religions, trying to increase their flocks while increasing their political clout, may be the major opposition. Of course there will be those who want more children for whatever selfish reasons they may have, like showing how fertile they are. Some governments will certainly fight the idea of limiting births because they need to keep up their tax intake and they need more soldiers.
“I think the key is the government. But in democratic governments the people have
to be persuaded. So where do we begin?”
“You’re right, Wreck, this will be your toughest challenge. Maybe you should just
concentrate on trying to reduce the population. But I understand your concern that every
child should have loving parents who will help the child to become its best self.
“Maybe if you concentrated on reducing teenage pregnancy you would have the
blessings of the government and probably the blessings of the teenagers’ parents. Probably a very strong education program in parenting education as well as sex education would help. I know you’ve seen those health education projects where the teacher assigns each child to care for an egg for a week. The students name the egg and may even make
clothes for it. They have to provide for feeding the egg, and if for a period of time they can’t take care of it they need to get a babysitter, I mean an egg-sitter. This lesson may help many to understand that there is more to caring for a child than just conceiving it.
“Maybe the media could be enlisted to show how difficult it is for teenagers to raise a child. Along with that they might show how a child reduces the dating desirability of the teenaged parent. In fact it tends to reduce the dating desirability of adults also. As you just mentioned, other things being equal, why would a man want to take responsibility for somebody else’s child? So there is a huge social negative to being a single teenaged parent. For many, a child will reduce, and often eliminate one’s chances for an effective education. This of course reduces the chance of getting the type of job
that one would prefer. Then of course there is the cost of the child, which is much more
than a government stipend would pay. Another factor could be that because so many unloved girls want a baby to love them, an education program should include the fact that babies can’t love. The parent must be able to love the child so that eventually the child will be capable of loving. But of course these ideas assume that rationality can overcome
the psychological needs for power that many teenagers believe will be satisfied if they
become parents.”
“You will have an impossible task trying to change the Catholic, Mormon and
Muslim beliefs that God told us to procreate.”
“But Father Ray, aren’t you living in opposition to the command to procreate since you are celibate?”
“Lee, you know that my celibacy precludes the marriage duty to procreate. As St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, ‘it is best for a man not to touch a woman.’ So we have Paul’s ascetic admonition versus that for families, such as Adam and Eve. In many religions asceticism is practiced by those who are holiest.”
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”Okay Ray, so Godly people shouldn’t have children but married people should. What about those who are neither Godly nor married? Should the unwed therefore not have children? If so, the religions shouldn’t object to unmarried people either being required to have licenses or not being allowed to have children.’
-”Maybe not. But if unmarried people conceive a child, they should marry.”
”Is that a Church law or just a personal opinion?”
”Just an opinion.”
”So maybe I should first concentrate on the unmarried teenagers needing licenses. That would fall under the political rule of ‘divide and conquer.’ I would probably have fewer objections from those over 20 and those who are married.”
”But what kind of license would you suggest?”