Free Essay

Licensing Parenthood

In:

Submitted By djshifted
Words 797
Pages 4
The idea of establishing a licensing program for procreation is not a new idea. This idea has been brought up many times, and has persuasive arguments on both sides. These arguments range from basic human rights on the side against to instances of neglect and abuse on the pro side of the concept. This has to potential to be a highly controversial subject if it were ever to be brought to a political light.

Licensing is required in many professional fields, as well as for many activities. Generally licensing is required for tasks and professions that could potentially be dangerous or life-threatening if it is done incorrectly. The professions of doctors, lawyers, welders, electricians, air traffic controllers, pilots, and countless other fields require licensing and certification in order to practice. Similarly licenses are required to drive a vehicle, operate a HAM radio, SCUBA dive, and many other recreational activities due to the potential to threaten the lives of the person doing these activities as well as those around him or her. Parenting has a similar responsibility, and holds the life health of a child in their hands; however anyone is allowed to procreate without any sort of prequalification.

There can be many arguments made against the idea of requiring a license in order to have and raise a child. The foremost of these arguments is that having and raising children is a basic human right. On the religious side, it is a commandment that people be fruitful and multiply. This would bring the idea of requiring a license to have children under scrutiny by both human rights organizations and religious institutions. This idea also begs the question, “Who is going to pay for this?” as well as “Who will determine the licensing requirements?”. Then there is “how” of the matter. How will the licensing be enforced? One option that is nearly unthinkable would be forced abortion if the pregnancy is caught before the child is born, or forced adoption if it is caught after the child is born. This would once again come under fire from the human rights sector. Another option could be forced sterilization in a method that could be reversible once licensing is achieved, however that would require an invasive procedure.

There are also many arguments that can be made for requiring a licensing in order to become a parent. We see evidence nearly every day in the news about the extremes of bad parenting. Caylee Anthony and Jonbenet Ramsey are only two examples of many cases of bad parenting that most everyone has heard in recent years. With the current system there is no real way of preventing a possible bad situation. I do not believe that a system for licensing would be perfect, however no licensing system is. The possible licensing requirements are already in place with the restrictions and investigations required for the adoption process. At this point in time it requires a thorough background investigation, financial investigation, and multiple home visits in order to qualify to adopt a child, though there are no such requirements in order to have your own, and in this case it is believed that the financial cost of screening potential parents for an adopted child does not outweigh the benefits of placing a child into a suitable, stable home. In addition there would be mandatory classes and tests to educate and evaluate potential parents. The only seemingly insurmountable objection at this time is how the licensing would be enforced. Forced abortion would be nearly unthinkable, by both pro-life and pro-choice groups. Forcing adoption would be nearly as bad in the eyes of the public, not to mention the overabundance of children up for adoption already. The only method that I think would be possible to use in order to have a practice of this nature approved would be a method of sterilization that is both non-invasive and easily reversible so that when a license is approved then a potential parent would be able to have a child with relative ease.

The idea of requiring a license to have children at this time would have no chance of being implemented at this point in time. There are many objections and seemingly insurmountable obstacles that would be nearly impossible to circumvent. With the rapid advancements in technology as well as the evolving points of view of people throughout the country and around the world it is not impossible to think that this may be a viable option at some point in the future.

References:
C. P. Mangel, ‘Licensing parents: How feasible?’ in P. Tittle (ed.) Should Parents Be Licensed? (Buffalo, NY:Prometheus Books, 2004), p. 106.

Lafollette, H. (2010). Licensing parents revisited. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 27(4), 327-343. Retrieved from EBSCOHost

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Amgen Strengths an Weaknesses

...Case Study 1 - Amgen Evaluate Amgen’s patenting strategy. What are its strengths, what are its weaknesses? Amgen is a multinational biopharmaceutical company, one of the world's largest biotechnology firms in the world. Amgen's first product was its breakthrough with recombinant human erythropoetin (EPO) as a treatment for anemia. It was crucial for the company to do all within its power to protect its intellectual property (IP). For this purpose Amgen's patent strategy included filling for three separate patents which would cover all its bases including the final product, starting material and the process. The first and most important patent the company filed was for the final product, recombinant human EPO. This patent is the strongest way to protect its IP as it prevents competitors producing, using, marketing, selling and importing the final product allowing exclusivity to Amgen. The drawback of this patent is the difficulty to achieve and sustain it. In order to receive a final product patent the company must prove that its product is innovative. If the final product has been described or published previously in any form this can be used as grounds to reject the request for the patent as it is considered prior art. Moreover it can be used to revoke the patent once received. Since EPO is a purified human protein most likely discovered previously in its naturally occurring form it will be very difficult for Amgen to patent it. The second patent that the company filled...

Words: 1154 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Asdf

...Mr tedster Wayne Schuller managed a warehouse in Minnetonka, Minnesota. His major concern was the number of workers to assign to his single unloading dock. After he began contracting with motor carriers for deliveries, he found that they were assessing him stiff penalties if their trucks had wait time to be unloaded. Wayne started adding larger crews at the unloading dock, but often, they seemed idle because there were no trucks to unload. Wayne recalled from college that queuing theory might be applicable to such a problem. The theory of queuing is an analysis of the probabilities associated with waiting in line, assuming that orders, customers, and so on arrive in some pattern (often a random pattern) to stand in line. A common situation is that on the average, a facility may have excess capacity, but oftentimes, it is more than full, with a backlog of work to be done. Often, this backlog has costs associated with it, including penalties to be paid or customers who walk away rather than wait. If a firm expands its capacity to reduce waiting times, then its costs go up and must be paid even when the facility is idle. Queuing theory is used to find the best level of capacity, the one that minimizes the costs of providing a service and the costs of those waiting to use the service. After some further research specific to his firm, Wayne determined the following facts. 1. Trucks arrive randomly at the average rate of four per hour, with a deviation of plus or minus...

Words: 431 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Patent Warfare

...The accuser may be more interested in developing newer and better versions of its product instead of getting a onetime payout. Collaboration will save both parties time and money by avoiding a long and expensive court case. It will also benefit both parties to share research and new ideas (Laudon, 2012). Nokia and HTC are a recent example of collaborations as they entered “into a collaboration agreement to provide access to each other’s patented technology to explore future projects” (Shankar, 2014). Working together will provide our business with new innovations making us more competitive. New innovations will develop an opportunity for new registered patents to our company, providing a defense system for possible future law suits. Licensing fees and royalties from new innovations will be collected by both parties creating new revenue. Avoiding court, continuing to grow and collecting revenue makes for a much more favorable scenario. Unfortunately most infringement lawsuits are made by patent trolls. They are companies created solely to hoard patents and using them for the purpose of getting a payout. They sue multiple...

Words: 856 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Bamboo House

...Queuing Theory Significance There is a very significant reason why Queuing Theory exists. Not only does it apply to a wide variety of topic, many within the business and supply chain industries, it also helps prove cause and effect. In addition to this, it provides a very logical idea of what a solution to a problem it has discovered should be. Measuring and understanding both order rate and service rate can potentially be the difference between business success and business failure. For example, if a company has too slow of a service rate, it is going to lose business because of the long wait times. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if a company focuses too much on improving its service rate instead of understanding its ratio compared to order rate, it will be misusing its very valuable resources. It is also important to have knowledge of all different types of queuing systems. Importance of Queuing Configuration As one can imagine, the importance of a queuing system configuration is very significant as well. As stated above, there are several different types of queuing systems and queuing configurations. If a business uses an improper queuing system or queuing configuration, it can suffer from one of many different negative consequences. Some examples of different types of queuing systems/queuing configurations are First Come First Served, First In First Out, Round Robin, Service in Random order, and many more. Queuing systems and configurations also vary by the number...

Words: 531 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Abortion Term Paper

...Maima D. Beer English 24 Prof. Thompson Date: 7/26/12 Final Research Paper Birth Control and Its importance for Women Rights Women for centuries have been subjugated to men, and it’s hard to believe but there was a time in history in this country when women didn’t have any rights. Women couldn’t speak in public without the permission of men and were only looked to for bearing children, while taking care of the home. Throughout history women have fought for their rights with movements like the suffrage and birth control movements. The birth control unlike the suffrage movement is still an ongoing battle, even though women have the right to contraception, but many women don’t have access to because of certain state’s government have laws limiting that access to birth control. By the government controlling women’s access to birth control they are controlling the liberty for women. Birth control has been a very controversial topic and taboo since the classical period. Before one can grasp why and how birth control and the use of birth control can be controversial, one will need to understand what birth control is and the history. First, birth control should be viewed as a woman’s basic right that goes hand in hand with her first amendment right, and without any interference from the government. The all encompassing question is what is birth control? Birth control is a practice, material, or device by which sexual intercourse can be rendered...

Words: 3049 - Pages: 13

Free Essay

Royalty Payments

...A REPORT ON “ROYALTY Payments in industries” Submitted by: Niraj Kumar Agrawal NF121312 A report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of PGP – FM Program of National Institute of Financial Management Sector – 48, Pali Road, Faridabad, Haryana – 121 001 Faculty Guide Dr. A. M. Sherry Acknowledgements I express my deep sense of gratitude to my Faculty guide Dr. A.M.Sherry. He is intellectual person and an expert in his field of taxation. He has got a very rich experience into field of Accounting & Taxation; He has done eminent in the field of taxation. He has been constant source of guidance and inspiration behind the ideas employed in the study. The project could only be completed through the little that I could borrow from the vast sea of his knowledge in this field. I have indeed no formal words to acknowledge the valuable guidance and co-operation extended by him during the project work. I am also thankful to my colleagues for helping me successfully conducting data mining. I extend my gratifications to Mr.Sumit Gupta for his support in collecting the data thru various sites. NIRAJ KUMAR AGRAWAL Roll No: NF121329 Course: PGP - FM Declaration I hereby declare that this project work entitled “Royalty payments by industries“ has been done by me during the academic year 2012-13 under the guidance of my faculty guide Dr. A.M. Sherry ...

Words: 3437 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Bba Bahria University Islmabad

...August 2011 I realized recently that we may be able to solve part of the patent problem without waiting for the government. I've never been 100% sure whether patents help or hinder technological progress. When I was a kid I thought they helped. I thought they protected inventors from having their ideas stolen by big companies. Maybe that was truer in the past, when more things were physical. But regardless of whether patents are in general a good thing, there do seem to be bad ways of using them. And since bad uses of patents seem to be increasing, there is an increasing call for patent reform. The problem with patent reform is that it has to go through the government. That tends to be slow. But recently I realized we can also attack the problem downstream. As well as pinching off the stream of patents at the point where they're issued, we may in some cases be able to pinch it off at the point where they're used. One way of using patents that clearly does not encourage innovation is when established companies with bad products use patents to suppress small competitors with good products. This is the type of abuse we may be able to decrease without having to go through the government. The way to do it is to get the companies that are above pulling this sort of trick to pledge publicly not to. Then the ones that won't make such a pledge will be very conspicuous. Potential employees won't want to work for them. And investors, too, will be able to see that they're the...

Words: 679 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Patent Trolls

...Patent Trolls Patent Trolls as defined by Investopedia is a term used to describe companies or people that misuse patents as a business strategy. These patents are bought by Non-Practicing Entity’s (NPE) who buy these patents from bankrupt companies and auctions and have no intentions of developing it. Their business strategy is to do some research and file lawsuits against infringing companies. These Patent trollers cost the US Company billions of dollars each year. They disrupt the productivities of many companies and affect the whole idea of creativity and innovation in the United States. Patent trolling cost the companies $29 Billion in 2011 in direct costs and up to $80 Billion in other ancillary costs. Add to that the incalculable costs in terms of productivity and disruption of innovation and entrepreneurship. Among the ones that are most affected by this are the small and start-up companies. To give a comparison, the terrorist attack of 9/11 had an economic impact of $123 Billion whereas, patent troll lawsuits amounted to $500 Billion in lost wealth to defendants. The next question that needs to be answered is why there is a rise in this sort of unethical business. This business has a very low start-up cost which usually requires buying out junk patents or acquiring patents from bankrupt companies. This business also has a very low overhead cost Furthermore, the cost of running these sort of businesses are very...

Words: 631 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Rim Paper

...What were some of the challenges that RIM faced to protect its intellectual property, and how did RIM handle those challenges? RIM’s success in the industry of wireless technology, more specifically, the e-mail wireless communications, made the organization’s intellectual property a prime target for adversaries that were not involved in the technological innovation industry, but for patent holding firms that were sitting in the background waiting patiently for a big fish to fall prey of their treachery. The success of these patent holding firms in the patent infringement litigation arena opened the gates for RIM’s industry competitors to scavenge from the patent holding company prey. Some of the challenges RIM faced to protect their intellectual property ignited a myriad of legal battles that wounded the Blackberry giant fatally from which RIM never recovered totally to this date. Below are summaries of litigation battles that originated after RIM, amongst other companies, decided to ignore a licensee contract agreement proposed by a Virginia based holding company in the year 2000. The US intellectual property holding company that sent the memorandum notice to RIM as well as to other technology companies and initiated the downfall of RIM was New Technology Products (NTP). 1. New Technology Products (NTP) Vs. Research in Motion (RIM) In 2001, NTP, an intellectual property holding company of at least 50 US patents, which focused on inventions in the fields of wireless...

Words: 2070 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Ckc Case Write-Up

...C.K. Claridge, Inc. Case What are the interests of the various players in the Varacil market? 
 * CKC: Obtain the least costly ending for the lawsuit, considering the future effects of the outcome with respect to market share and future profits. * Tolemite: Obtain a payment of all past and future liabilities at the highest royalty possible, or the highest payment. * BARD: They would benefit from two situations: 1.CKC wining the trial, as they would not have to pay royalties anymore, which could decrease CKC’s cost competitive advantage if BARD decides to lower the price of the product. Thus they can become more competitive and may increase their market share this way. 2. CKC having to pay a royalty of 4% or more. The same logic as above applies. What should Mr. Purcell do? If you think he should propose a settlement, what amount do you recommend, and how should it be communicated? 
 I believe Mr. Purcell should propose a settlement with Tolemite. The process started on 2005, and only in 2009 they are going to trial, which means 4 years of related costs, including time and monetary costs. Moreover, if they do go to trial, the process may continue, as appeals can be made if they win the case. This will mean more years with this problem in mind, and costly lawyers and advisors. By the time the trial is over, the patent will be close to expiring (2017), thus decreasing the importance of the trial itself. Regardless of the calculations made...

Words: 799 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Patent Pledge

...realized recently that we may be able to solve part of the patent problem without waiting for the government. I've never been 100% sure whether patents help or hinder technological progress. When I was a kid I thought they helped. I thought they protected inventors from having their ideas stolen by big companies. Maybe that was truer in the past, when more things were physical. But regardless of whether patents are in general a good thing, there do seem to be bad ways of using them. And since bad uses of patents seem to be increasing, there is an increasing call for patent reform. The problem with patent reform is that it has to go through the government. That tends to be slow. But recently I realized we can also attack the problem downstream. As well as pinching off the stream of patents at the point where they're issued, we may in some cases be able to pinch it off at the point where they're used. One way of using patents that clearly does not encourage innovation is when established companies with bad products use patents to suppress small competitors with good products. This is the type of abuse we may be able to decrease without having to go through the government. The way to do it is to get the companies that are above pulling this sort of trick to pledge publicly not to. Then the ones that won't make such a pledge will be very conspicuous. Potential employees won't want to work for them. And investors, too, will be able to see that they're the sort of company...

Words: 593 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Starbucks Balanced Scorecard Analysis

...A monopoly can be defined as a market in which there is only one buyer. In the final section of intermediate microeconomics we have been discussing the impact that monopolies have on the competitive market. We have looked at how monopolies are able to charge a higher price for the products and services because they are the only seller in the market. One of the main goals of every company is to continue to gain market share over their competitors in order to increase shareholder profits and establish a solid foundation for a successful future. Firms that have established monopolies have a significant advantage to any company that tries to enter their market. Often times the cost of entering such markets blocks almost any firm from trying. As we will see, sometimes companies use patents as a way to block competitors from gaining market share. In an April 11, 2011 article written by John Scheller and Keneth Albridge III titled “The Patent Monopoly – more than a right to exclude,” they discussed how Google is using recently acquired patents in order to block competitors in the emerging cell phone technology market. The article says that many entrepreneurs often associate the value of patent rights with the ability to protect the patent owners position in a given market. They do this by demanding royalty payments from competitors or excluding them from the market altogether. Patents can also create value for firms by opening doors to other markets. Google recently acquired...

Words: 518 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Standard Essential Patents

...SCOPE OF STANDARD ESSENTIAL PATENTS AND THER RELATION WITH FRAND (FAIR , REASONABLE AND NON DISCRIMINATORY TERMS) SUBMITTED BY : ALIFAH AHMAD TABLE OF CONTENT Topic | Page No. | 1. Introduction | 3 | 2. Litigation relating to SEP | 5 | 3. Standard Essential Patent and their relevance to FRAND | 9 | 4. USA’s and EU’s approach to Standard Essential Patents | 11 | 5. India’s approach to Standard Essential Patents | 12 | 6. Conclusion | 12 | INTRODUCTION Indian jurisprudence on fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory (FRAND) licensing practices for standard-essential patents (SEPs) is at a relatively nascent stage. Unlike U.S. and EU courts, which have dealt with cases concerning calculating a FRAND royalty for a considerable time, Indian courts and the Indian antitrust authority—the Competition Commission of India (CCI)—have only just begun to decide such cases. In its initial orders in the first two antitrust complaints concerning SEPs, the CCI seemed to favor using the smallest salable patent-practicing component (SSPPC) as the royalty base to determine a FRAND royalty. However, in the short time since the CCI’s orders, the Delhi High Court has rendered contrary decisions in two SEP infringement suits. The Delhi High Court’s decisions use the value of the downstream product as a royalty base and rely on comparable licenses to determine a FRAND royalty. The Delhi High Court’s decisions are not only consistent with sound economic principles...

Words: 3902 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Sex Education

...always subsist on a plain, simple, unstimulating, vegetable, and water diet; and care should be taken that they do not eat too fast, and are not excessive, in quantity. They should never be kept too long a time in a sitting, confined, or inactive Jonathan Stokes 2 posture. They should never sleep on feathers." —Sylvester Graham, Lectures on Chastity (Cornblatt 1) (1834) Upon further investigation into my topic i have found several key dates and facts. one fact was that during the 1930's the U.S. Office of Education started publishing articles and training teachers. also during the 40's and 50's colleges began adding courses on Human Sexuality. And in 1964, Mary Calderone, a physician who had been the medical director at Planned Parenthood, founded the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS). SIECUS was created in part to challenge the hegemony of the American Social Hygiene Association, which then dominated sex-education curriculum development (Cornblatt 2) . Comprehensive sex education...

Words: 455 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

His125 Week6 News Story

...News Story 1 News Story Your Name HIS 125 June 18, 2012 The Rise of Birth Control Clinics in The United States News Story 2 Today, there is an abundance of information, for any persons seeking birth control. There are different forms for females and males designed to protect against disease and pregnancy. There are also birth control clinics that provide free or low cost services to women. However; this was not always the case with birth control. There have been birth control techniques for thousands of years, which date back to ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. What is now known as “the modern movement of birth control” actually began in Great Britain. The writer Thomas Robert Malthus stirred up the interest regarding the time’s current over-population problem. As a result of his publications, by 1870 a wide range of birth control devices were made available in English and American pharmacies. These devices included; rubber condoms, diaphragms, vaginal sponges, and medicated tampons. Due to the easy access to these devices to the public, both countries created a bill to prohibit the distribution of contraceptives across state lines and through the mail. Before the use of birth control in America, many women had opted for abortions because they either had too many children to take care of or they were simply not ready to parents. In the early 19th century, abortions could be dangerous. Too many abortions often lead the woman’s death because the technology was not yet...

Words: 889 - Pages: 4