Should some people be forced to be sterilized? (Details )
I know lots of shitty people in this world. I’ll stick to one story.
A man I know is a violent criminal. He has spent probably 40% of his life in prison. He spent time for rape, attempted murder, and many violent crimes. He is pretty much a danger to society. He has family history of mental illness.
His girlfriend was a teenager when they had their first child. She smokes crack ,and prostitutes herself to support the habit. They ,well she, has 4 children now. All have been taken by child services.
Whenever he gets out of prison, they have another baby. It’s taken from them at birth,usually with health problems.
If they will never be allowed to keep their kids, why let them keep making kids?
So. Hypothetically.
Should people be made infertile after a certain amount of criminal activity?
Cases like this must cost the country millions of dollars. And the kids grow up in orphanages, or worse. Some have lifelong medical issues because their mother did drugs while pregnant.
I know it’s a slippery slope, but does anyone have any better ideas? Maybe forced birth control?
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
14 Answers
Quick answer: YES
But the devil is in the details. The problem is: who decides? If you start castrating people for one sort of behavior, where do you stop? Trumpites will want to sterilize Muslims, Jews, and Mexicans. White nationalists will want to castrate blacks. And so on.
As soon as you open the door for one, you have opened the door for any other unpopular or unsympathetic sub-group within the country.
Read up on nazi germany. They tried it there.
The Stanford marshmallow experiment has shown a direct correlation between the ability to delay gratification and financial success, and a direct correlation between the inability to delay gratification and subsequent criminality later in life. What this suggests is that we’ve designed a culture which rewards certain specific traits while punishing other ones, ascribing moral superiority to possession of traits determined almost entirely by genetics.
You believe because this man is a criminal that he shouldn’t be permitted to propagate his genes. Yet if society collapsed tomorrow, I can guarantee you that this man would be far more likely to thrive and survive than you would. And the fact is, he’s still better at propagating his genes today than you are, which is why you’re so angry. You are attempting to leverage your only advantage – superior social class – to cripple his ability to promulgate his genes, giving your own genes a competitive advantage.
Being asexual, I don’t have a horse in this race; I don’t care which of you is ultimately more successful in spraying semen against cervixes. But what I do care about is the culture in which I am forced to live, and I know for a certainty that I don’t want to live in a culture where a cabal of genetic chauvinists gets to decide who is allowed to spread their germ plasm into the future.
Absolutely not, how barbaric. Bodily autonomy applies here, we cannot force anyone to go through a medical procedure.
@Mariah . They force him to hand over his children. Is that not equal, or worse than a procedure.
@SmashTheState . As usual, I like some of what you say, and not the rest. I asked this question, in a way, as an alternative to abortions.
The man I mentioned is a terrible person. Unfortunately, he is pretty much just as poor as me, so I’m afraid you’re incorrect when it comes to me using my “superior social class” against him. I’m not so angry that he is ‘propagating his genes’ better than me either. He’ll never even see his kids. I’m upset that these two crack head ,bad people are bringing children into this world who are sick, and they don’t even have parents. They start out with significant disadvantages.
As far as him thriving better than me if society collapsed, probably not. I’ve already fought this guy three times. He’s pathetic. He’s a bully,and when pressed by equal, or superior physicality he wilts. Hopefully you don’t see him in the street, or you’ll have to ‘care’ when he’s assaulting you for what he can get. He’s been working out in prison for a long time, so hopefully your vegetarian physique is up to a good fight. I’m sure he will listen to your agenda, rather than rob you.Good luck!
@elbanditoroso , yeah , like I said slippery slope.
I like the idea, but where does it end, right wing freaks will take it to extremes, religious freaks would be dead against it.
You are right though some people should no way breed,but who in the end makes that call?
@MrGrimm888 I am in favor of it. I do not want to be paying for his kids. Yes, one day one of them might become president but odds are the child will be enrolled immediately in the welfare system and will continue the cycle.
The opening of the movie Idiocracy immediately comes to mind. I don’t see us turning it around.
Handing over his children does not violate bodily autonomy. Of course he should have to hand them over if he’s doing a shit job taking care of them.
Eh? Ain’t nobody gonna bring up Carrie Buck? “3 generations of imbeciles is enough” ring any bells?
”... some people should no way breed,but who in the end makes that call?”—SQUEEKY2
QFT, emphasis added
Links:
Buck vs. Bell
Review of Imbeciles
One of those things that sound good in theory but in the real, doesn’t have much of a leg to stand on. The same reasoning could be applied other ways, but then people will balk because it may affect them.
@LuckyGuy . I LOVE Idiocracy . But this is worse.
Response moderated
My quick answer is I am in favor of the state paying or providing sterilization for people like you describe (the girl on crack and the rapist) if they want the procedure. Let’s fund it, it’s cheaper for society in the long run.
Do I believe in forcing people to be sterilized? I’m basically against it. It makes sense to me in many situations to do it, but I’m loathe to actually put it into practice. I could possibly be swayed though.
Answer this question 
Composing members:
0
