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Comment by rm_-rf_slash | Hacker News Reader

You are correct on taxes, right in heart on UBI (I don't think technology has sufficiently advanced to produce a cheap enough high standard of living to be a universal guarantee - maybe when trucks and ships can drive themselves and 3D printers can make most things at a push of a button), but I have a rather controversial opinion about automation and humanity's future that I know I'll get yelled at for:

Birth control must be a right or we will outbreed our planet's resources.

Chemical contraception should be provided free of charge to anybody that wants it. The cost will be a pittance compared to the lifetime societal costs of unwanted children mostly born into and stuck in poverty, and doomed to repeat the cycle with their own unwanted pregnancies.

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> Birth control must be a right or we will outbreed our planet's resources.

I would argue Education / stable society reduces rate of birth more than birth control.

What do most all 1st world modern economic countries on this list have in common? https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/... The birthrate per woman is under 2.

Yes! You are quite right: education is the best birth control.

Unfortunately, accidents happen. We should promote both.

Is this an American healthcare thing? Because my reaction to your post is to wonder why you think it's a pressing concern?

I feel like birth control in a variety of forms is already fairly readily available, and it seems likely to me that it will only get more accessible in future.

Why not mandate a child/baby license as well to confirm a parent has the resources to take care of a child as well?

EDIT: I think china did control population control, and if population control is a world shattering issue maybe we should look at it.

Baby licensing and other attempts to use gov't to control reproduction have a sordid history. The 1 Child policy involved a lot of misery/unwanted abortions/infanticide, plus a bad gender gap.

If we must go back to the first half of the 20th century for examples, government efforts to select parental fitness look pretty ugly too-- happy to expand a bit on the "natalism" of the 3rd Reich!

I don't think people should be restricted from having kids in any way. That is entirely up to them.

However, birth control should be provided for free because the cost of pills is far lower than the cost of a human being.

That being said, I think it would be worth looking into a "parental preparedness"...erm...I really hate the term "license" for this but it'll have to do. Anyway, something to demonstrate that you will be a good parent would be useful in determining eligibility for things like WIC benefits. But that's just an idea and should be attempted before implementing.

Incentives work great. If you can't afford to raise a child, you should get a stipend each year that you don't have any.

Huh, it's like the pro-life version of paying serial killers not to kill.

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