Parents must take classes and pass tests before being allowed to have children.

Thank you for this debate, Pro. I look forward to an interesting exchange. Pro states, "Parents must take classes and pass tests before being allowed to have children." I would like to point out if individuals are currently parents they cannot be tested BEFORE they are allowed to have children. I will argue against what I feel is Pro’s intended resolution of: Persons intent on becoming parents should take classes and pass tests about parenting before being allowed to have children. I agree children are the future, and we should do everything possible to make them into responsible productive members of society. However, I disagree with the thought of testing individuals with parenting test before allowing for offspring for 3 reasons 1. By whose cultural standard do we determine the right answers? 2. It is a severe violation of basic human rights. 3. This gives extreme power to a corrupt government over a very intimate part of our lives. By whose cultural standard do we determine the right answers?There are huge cultural differences in our melting pot of America. It is difficult to imagine how one would determine what questions should be on the test, and even what answers would be right. Cultures show affection in very different ways: “One area in which cultures often differ is in the ways parents display affection toward their children. West African, Arabic and Asia-Pacific communities often stop such practices as kissing or fondling a child once she becomes a toddler. However, some cultures consider physical attention such as bathing, skin care or braiding a child’s hair to be appropriate physical ways to express affection.” [1] Cultures handle punishment in different ways: “Physical punishment is another area in which parents of different cultures act differently. Most parents view spanking as a last-resort strategy, but felt it was acceptable, according to the CDC. Black parents were more willing to spank a child in a public place because they felt the need to immediately respond to misbehavior. White and American Indian parents were less comfortable with spanking in public. Some black, Latino and white parents think it's acceptable to use a belt or strap for spanking for serious misbehavior, while Asian-American and American Indian parents felt that they should only use their hands.” [1] Who decides what makes a good parent? I certainly would not want my child raised according to someone else’s culture, and I can’t imagine anyone else would either. It is a severe violation of the most basic of human rights. What could be more basic than the right to pass on our genes …to carry on our family lines? By implementing a parenting test we would be denying individuals the ability to send their young into a future world as a personal representative. Why? …because someone, who may or may not have been qualified to make the determination, felt they were unfit. The Supreme Court has extended the fundamental rights provided for in the Bill of Rights: In Eisenstadt v. Baird, 405 U.S. 438 (1972), the Supreme Court expanded the scope of sexual privacy rights when it struck down a Massachusetts law banning the sale of contraceptives to unmarried couples. The decision in this case extended constitutional protection to all procreative sexual intercourse, not just sex between married partners. [2] Denying citizens procreation for any reason is denying them basic fundamental rights provided for by the Highest court in the land. Is it wise to give extreme power to a corrupt government over a very intimate part of our lives? No! It is no secret our own government has a component of corruption. It is ill advised to allow it to have power over our future existence. If the government becomes more powerful than the people, it no longer needs to represents citizens. Implementing this type of test with procreation hanging in the balance gives government huge power. J.R Martin states,” neither party represents the interests of the American people since both are controlled by foreign and domestic corporations and special interest groups that provide the majority of their funding [...] [B]oth parties practice dishonest, divisive politics aimed at dividing and manipulating public opinion instead of seeking to build an honest national consensus on important issues confronting our nation.” [3] Government has shown it is not always acting in the best interest of the governed. Handing this power to those who do not faithfully represent us is misguided. I look forward to my opponent’s arguments and rebuttal. [1] http://everydaylife.globalpost.com... [2]http://www.justia.com... [3] http://economyincrisis.org...