No, the "free market" has decided that the workers have a value below minimum wage to the company employing them. Remove the minimum wage and the workers will get more breaks, but earn less overall.
> Preventing this kind of abuse involves regulation
Or it may be a side effect of what regulation exists such as increased taxes for full time employment or minimum wage?
Stated bluntly: there is nothing stopping the free market from abusing or killing people if the incentives align that way. If we decide we are better than that as a society, regulation is needed.
Well, thats true. Any "thing" stopping the free market from abusing\killing people is a form of regulation. Just like you're not allowed to auction off your own organs, or collect and auction organs of others to pay off debts.In a "free market", you would have the ability to market your body too.
> It is already almost impossible to survive on minimum wage in many parts of the country
Do you feel people should consider this while having children? If you're poor, most of the time your kids will grow up poor\min wage as well. Should you have kids?