Just when you think people can be any more stupid....

[DungeonmasterCal]

....why can't we just sterlize people who do this?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10259705/

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

....why can't we just sterlize people who do this?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10259705/

Why stop with sterilization? Kill 'em outright. And I'm usually anti-death penalty.

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

Well, since our courts (are clay instead of astroturf/don't have Judge Harry Stone running them/Pielorinho does this better than me) I thought it was a viable alternative.

 

[devilbat]

This ranks up there with the stories I've heard of people in the faaaar north of my province, who would put a little gasoline on their childrens pillow, to ensure they would sleep soundly all night.

Sterelization should only be the beginning of the punishment for these people.

 

[Turanil]

Wishful thinking of mine: I wish some international law with the means to enforce it. It would be very effective against both overpopulation (and all the problems resulting from it) and human suffering. Simply put, all neurotic people, plus all those unable to take care of children in an appropriate manner, would be forbidden to have children. If they wanted to have some, they would first need to make a successful psychotherapy. After all, we require people to have a driving license to drive a car, but no parenting license should be required to sire children?

 

[mojo1701]

After all, we require people to have a driving license to drive a car, but no parenting license should be required to sire children?

Well, you can't accidentally drive a car.

 

[Henry]

Keep in mind that this is also a folk "remedy" that goes back some 200 years or more; heck, before this, people in the industrial revolution used to use laudanum (opium & gin) to keep their children asleep while they were at work all day, because no one could afford to stay home and watch the babies. Many, Many young children died in this way.

Doesn't make it right, of course, but it could be a case of carrying on "family tradition."

 

[Xath]

We had a debate about this in my ethics class yesterday. Most people were of the opinion that you should have to meet certain standards to have children, such as a suitable income and environment to support them, and a certain intelligence level to not do idiotic things like the above.

 

[RangerWickett]

Despite the tragedy involved here, I am appalled by the casual disregard of the value of a human being because he or she is not up to your personal standards.

I can understand where you're coming from, but, man, that's just inhuman of you.

 

[jonesy]

...and a certain intelligence level to not do idiotic things like the above.

First, how would you measure that? Even smart people do dumb things.

Second, looking at the world we live in, I think that would rule out 99% of all humans.