POLITICAL ISSUE #503: EXCESSIVE IRRESPONSIBLE BIRTHS

PRESENT CONDITION: An increasingly large percentage of American births are to young single-parent mothers who are neither financially nor emotionally capable of raising that child. The result is an unapproved financial and emotional burden on the rest of society. Even with social assistance, such children on average become adults that are less able to contribute to American society than are children born to responsible parents.

DIRECTION OF IMPROVEMENT: The number of births into young single parent families should be significantly reduced.

ISSUE JUSTIFICATION: The prosperity of American society and the individual fulfillment of American citizens depends on offering each child the opportunity to maximize his/her potential. We need to recognize that even equality of opportunity does not produce equality of results due to human differences. We also need to allow for acceptable variablity in terms of both economic and emotional parental capabilities. However reasonable tolerance should not result in the absence of limits and young single parent families exceed this limit.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR ISSUE # 503: EXCESSIVE IRRESPONSIBLE BIRTHS

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Each state shall have the authority to set a minimum legal age for unmarried mothers with 21 years being the maximum. The penalty for an underage pregnancy shall be at the person's choice either incarceration until the state's legal age or mandatory implantable birth control until age 21. The mother shall be required to identify possible fathers who shall be confirmed with DNA testing. The fathers shall be punished in proportion to both the age of the mother and for any repeat offenses. Physician's performing abortions shall be required to report any underage patients. States may decide under what circumstances to require birth control for underage abortion patients. Children born to underage mothers shall be placed in foster care for adoption unless the mother's parents or close relative are willing to assume legal responsibility for the child. With parental consent, the state shall offer all minors birth control information and means. Denial of parental consent makes the parents (of both the underage mother and father) financially responsible for any underage pregnancies.

JUSTIFICATION: This solution is admittedly a draconian measure; however conceiving a child is the most solumn of human responsibilities. The status of birth control technology is sufficiently advanced that unintended pregnancy is simply irresponsible behavior. Where the parents are emotionally and/or financially unable to care for their new human being, pregnancy is both an inhumane act to the child and theft of the resources of society which must try to assume part of the financial and emotional responsibilities of parenting.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR SOLUTION # 503.1 FOSTER CARE FOR UNDERAGE BIRTHS

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SOLUTION DEFINITION STATEMENT
FOR
SOLUTION # 503.2 ACTIVE FATHER IDENTIFICATION

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Law enforcement shall make a concerted effort to identify fathers of children to underage mothers. Both the fathers and mothers shall share a lifetime responsibility for the costs associated with the care of said child.

JUSTIFICATION: Conceiving a child is the most solumn of human responsibilities. The current explosion of children to underage parents who are emotionally and/or financially unable to care for their new human being, pregnancy is both an inhumane act to the child and theft of the resources of society which must try to assume part of the financial and emotional responsibilities of parenting. Active father identification will make men equally responsible for their actions.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR SOLUTION # 503.2 ACTIVE FATHER IDENTIFICATION

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SOLUTION DEFINITION STATEMENT
FOR
SOLUTION # 503.3 TAX CREDITS FOR TWO CHILDREN TO MARRIED PARENTS

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: The tax laws shall be modified to provide a substantial additional tax credit for the first two children born to married parents. If the parents are initially unmarried, but subsequently marry, they would then be entitled to the credit. If the parents subsequently divorce, the credit shall be halved.

JUSTIFICATION: Responsible parenting is one of the most important contributions that citizens can make to the future of American society. The process of inflation has seriously eroded what was once a substantial tax incentive for parents. This financial incentive should be restored to support married parents raising the next generation of Americans. However the explosion in America's population means that large families are no longer in America's best interests. Therefore the increased tax credit should only apply to the first two children.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR SOLUTION # 503.3 TAX CREDITS FOR TWO CHILDREN TO MARRIED PARENTS

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SOLUTION DEFINITION STATEMENT
FOR
SOLUTION # 503.4 FINES FOR EXCESSIVE ABORTIONS

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Under federal guidelines, States shall be allowed to establish both fines and required birth control for excessive use of abortions except in the case of rape or incest.

JUSTIFICATION: The political debate of "Life" vs "Choice" obscures the fact that the real issue is the tradeoff between these two powerful human social goals. The Roe v Wade decision established the acceptable limits for one abortion, but did not countenance the repeated use of abortion as a means of birth control. By allowing states to curb the excessive use of abortion, we can help heal the divisions on this issue by confirming a woman's right to occasional abortions that result from occasional failure of birth control or human judgment while affirming society's opposition to frequent abortions cause by irresponsible behavior.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR SOLUTION # 503.4 FINES FOR EXCESSIVE ABORTIONS

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SOLUTION DEFINITION STATEMENT
FOR
SOLUTION # 503.5 CONTEMPORARY STATUTORY RAPE LAW

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Any act of sexual intercourse between a man over the age of 18 years and a women under the age of 18 years shall be considered to be non-consentual sex and shall be subject to the penalties for statutory rape. Furthermore a penalty multiplier shall be applied that increases both for the age of the man over 18 and for the age of the women under 18. The suggested formula is:

Penalty = Basic Penalty x (18 - Age of Women) x (Age of Man -18)

where the ages are expressed a decimal years as the age at last birthday + number of days since last birthday/365. The suggested maximum penalty multiplier is 5.0. A graph of the penalty multiplier from the suggested formula is presented below.

This contemporary statutory rape law does not attempt to criminalize teenage sex where both partners are under 18, but it send a message loud and clear to older men to stay away from women under 18.

JUSTIFICATION: This solution was inspired by suggestions from Governor Wilson to revive the statutory rape laws and by an advertisement in the San Jose Mercury News on 6/25/96 by a group of physicians and family planning groups calling themselves "The Family Connection". This ad reports that "two thirds of all children born to teen mothers in California are fathered by men who are 20 years of age or older, and 74% of all fathers of teenage babies are over the age of 18." In the 1990's teenage sexual activity is a fact of life that needs to be addressed by education dealing with both morality and responsible birth control. However the significant component of this problem due to older men taking advantage of under age women should be addressed by recriminalizing that activity.

AUTHOR: John M. Humphrey EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR SOLUTION # 503.5

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