Children Should Be Raised By the State

The concept of the state raising children is an interesting one, but ultimately a fundamentally flawed one for the following reasons: Early Childhood development The first years of a child's life is paramount in their long term development. The close, intimate and frequent contact parents have with their infant and young child has a long lasting positive effect on them. This spurs growth, cognitive development, and self-actualisation in children. Children raised in state orphanages (as parents will give their children up at childbirth) will become serious affection starved throughout their formative years. Unfortunately due to the rash of child sexual abuse cases that have been well documented in child welfare institutions it can be imagined that strict guidelines will be established that would both reduce the risk of children being abused, but will simultaneously deprive them of necessary affection. Institutional care has shown to have the following effects on physical development. (It is important to note that this is not due to wanton neglect, but rather due to the clinical environment and emphasis on nursing care rather than psychological care). Physical under-developments Hearing and Vision problems Motor skills delay Poor health and sickness Physical and Learning disabilities may develop due to combination of the above This lack of physical contact and ongoing relationship with a primary caregiver also has been shown to have a similar negative effect on the child"s psychological development with multiple studies showing that children brought up in such institutions can develop anti-social behavioural traits, and limited social competence in play and peer interactions. A relatively high proportion of children (10%) who spent their early lives in poor conditions have been shown to display "quasi-autistic" behaviour. The prospect of every individual in the country growing up in such manner would have significant negative effects across society as they reached adult hood. Through our work and personal life, maintaining relationships is one of the most important skills and is the social lubricant that makes for a rich and rewarding life. A deficit in this area would hamper a smooth society, and all hopes of a utopian homogenous society would be dashed due to the many and varied physical and psychological problems stemming from institutional care. Unfulfilling Adult lives The impact of every couple in the country being forcefully denied the most basic human nurturing urge will have appalling consequences to their feelings of fulfilment. There is no amount of hours of work, no fancy house, no overseas holiday that can compare to having a close personal life long connection to your children. Children grow into adults with ample time and when they eventually meet their mate they still actively and consciously choose to create little wee miniature versions of themselves. When they are unable to do so they will go to great lengths to do conceive via multiple bouts of IVF, hormone therapy or surrogacy. Spending your adult life, especially as you get older without any connection to children and grandchildren would become increasingly isolated and lonely, especially when your life partner passes away and you then have no extended family. No brother, no sister, cousins or children. The only thing you would have is a group of children you grew up with 50 years ago that you might contact now and then on Facebook. An institutional reunion is no substitute for a close family bond. Rapid decline in population & economic growth. With all children being mandatorily removed from mothers and fathers after birth, there will be no personal incentive for women to go through the discomfort of morning sickness, late pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnancies will be systematically aborted to avoid the heart break of giving up a life to a stranger after going full term. Within a few short years population growth would descend into negative territory as what most parents consider their most fulfilling undertakings they can do in life is outsourced to the state. With the drop in birth rates, Schools would close, child care needs would evaporate, housing and SUV demand would shrink as would the economy in general. Countries such as Japan and Italy are good examples of what occurs economically when new births do not exceed the replacement rate. As the population aged there would not be enough young adults, to maintain the tax revenue required to care for the burgeoning bubble of retirees, let alone fill all the roles that allow society to function. Children born into the world will only be done so in a surrogate arrangement where women will have to be paid to go through pregnancy and the children will grow up knowing they only exist in the world, not because they were loved, but because the state needed them to sustain its viability. So in short institutional childhood would lead to: Miserable children Miserable Adults A Shrinking Economy, and A Dying society The world needs more hugs and cuddles not less. I thank-you.