If of childbearing age, women should be sterilized before assuming the office of POTUS

Hello. I just joined this forum yesterday and have engaged in as many debates as possible since then. Apologies in advance as I learn the various structures and formats that go into a "formal debate". I will suspect that this topic may be controversial, and have extended the voting period to one month to allow for greater participation. I welcome a vigorous debate on this topic. POTUS = President of the United States NOTES: There will be several spoilers for the movie "The Contender" below. I've recently watched the movie "The Contender". [1] While I have mixed feelings about the movie and sincerely think the Joan Allen character is undeserving of the Vice Presidency (due to the fact that she willingly and with full knowledge conspired to destroy the marriage of her best friend and subsequently took her friend's husband as her own), I am very much for the concept of having a woman serve in high office. However, there was one argument that was brought up in the senate confirmation hearings in the movie that I could not shake. Here is the argument in question (apologies, the source of the script was terrible - I have inserted the names of the speakers): [2] Laine Hanson - HANSON Shelly Runyon - RUNYON Reginald Webster - WEBSTER SYNOPSIS - Mrs. Laine Hanson is in front of a confirmation hearing in order to assume the office of Vice President of the United States. The office was abruptly vacated upon the sudden death of the former Vice President. Mr. Shelly Hanson is the chairman of the confirmation board - he has reservations about allowing a woman to potentially become the POTUS. Mr. Reginald Webster is a junior congressman noted for his naivety and ambition, who made an implicit deal with Mr. Hanson to contest Mrs. Hanson's confirmation in exchange for acceptance into Mr. Hanson's committee. Mr. Webster and Mrs. Hanson are Democrats, and Mr. Runyon is a Republican. RUNYON- Madam Senator. Tell us a little bit about your family. You have a son. HANSON - Mm-hmm. Yes, I have one six-year-old boy, Timothy. RUNYON - That's a very nice age. Now, I see here that when you... had Timothy, you were absent from your duty...for a few months' maternity leave. HANSON - It's the right of every mother to be able to take maternity-- RUNYON - Paid maternity leave. HANSON - Yes. I don't believe we should penalize our citizens for having children. RUNYON - I think I'm on safe ground saying that valuing motherhood is quite nonpartisan. - [Gallery Chuckling] RUNYON - Um, were you to get pregnant again...do you plan to take maternity leave? HANSON - Um, I've not given that any consideration. RUNYON - No? Are you still able to bear children? HANSON - Yes, I am-- I believe, yes, I am. RUNYON - Yet you have not given this matter any consideration. Perhaps that means-- No, strike that. Madam Senator...let us assume you ascended to the presidency... and you were to have a child during your term. Would you cede your duties to your vice president and for how long? WEBSTER - Mr. Chairman, would the chair expect to have the designate assure this committee... that she would have her tubes tied before she assume office? WEBSTER - Mr. Chairman, I humbly request a point of order. RUNYON - You will be afforded one. WEBSTER - With all due respect-- RUNYON - You will be afforded one when I am finished. HANSON - The truth is that while we have not put a seal on the concept of having another child...my husband and I practice birth control. RUNYON - Mm-hmm. Okay, I would now like to...enter the arena of loyalty. [end of relevant portion of the script] This line of questioning caught Mrs. Hanson off guard - the matter was settled when she asserted that she practiced birth control, and Mr. Runyon did not pursue the matter further. I found the line of questioning to be unsatisfying and unsettling. In prior scenes of the movie, several characters mentioned that Margaret Thatcher was an excellent example of an effective woman serving high office - however, Margaret Thatcher was 54 years old when she assumed the position of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and to my knowledge was beyond the age of child bearing. [3] This is not the case for Laine Hanson; per the above script, she is clearly capable of having children. Is it a matter of national security to know whether or not the POTUS plans to have more children? Is it a matter of national security to know whether or not the POTUS will take maternity leave during her term(s) in office? I believe the answer is yes. Mrs. Hanson assures us that she practices birth control and has not given the matter of having more children any consideration. I believe neither of these answers are adequate for the position being considered. For a man, these are not questions worthy of consideration - if he impregnates his wife, he is still fully capable of carrying out the same level and manner of responsibilities before the pregnancy, during the pregnancy, and several months after delivery of the child. However, for a woman, a pregnancy severely diminishes her capacity for mobility, and all but incapacitates her during the critical stage of birthing. Furthermore, it is accepted practice in the US that a woman be allowed to take unpaid maternity leave for 12 weeks after the birth of a child (I know, abysmal compared to world standards). [4] Therefore, I conclude a woman is severely incapacitated when bringing a life into this world, and that this incapacitation is highly undesirable for the position of POTUS. It is not enough that a woman pledges that she practice birth control while in the office of the POTUS. It is an unreasonable invasion of privacy to demand that she remain celibate during her term, and it is similarly not enough that a woman pledge to such a demand if offered. Therefore, I conclude that the only possible method of assuring that such a VOLUNTARY INCAPACITATION as childbearing not occur while a woman of childbearing age is in the position of the POTUS is to demand that she sterilize herself before (or in the case of assuming the office due to invocation of the 25th amendment [5] and/or the the Presidential Succession Act [6] shortly after assuming the offices of Vice President or POTUS, i.e. whenever feasible) assuming office. I believe this is an unique issue. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi was 67 years old before becoming Speaker of the House (and third in line to the Presidency). [9] Vice Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to be nominated for the positions of either Vice President or POTUS, was 49 years old when nominated, and I will assume she was beyond child-bearing age. [7] Hillary Clinton will be 69 years old if she chooses to run for POTUS in 2016, well beyond childbearing age. [8] Sarah Palin was 44 years old when nominated. [10] Mrs. Palin in many ways that are irrelevant to the topic at hand was dangerously close to incapacitating the country, in my opinion. Were she able to resolve questions surrounding her competency, I would have considered her situation to be a lightning rod for this specific issue. Unfortunately this never became an issue, as her perceived competency was seriously undermined shortly after her nomination. I welcome anyone willing to engage in this topic in good faith and look forward to an invigorating debate. Thanks. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org...(2000_film) [2] http://www.script-o-rama.com... [3] http://en.wikipedia.org... [4] http://en.wikipedia.org... [5] http://en.wikipedia.org... [6] http://en.wikipedia.org... [7] http://en.wikipedia.org... [8] http://en.wikipedia.org... [9] http://en.wikipedia.org... [10] http://en.wikipedia.org...