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In contemporary Western society, people are more often called upon to justify the choice not to have children than they are to supply reasons for having them. In this book, ChristineOverall maintains that the burden of proof should be reversed: that the choice to have children calls for more careful justification and reasoning than the choice not to. Arguing that the choice to have children is not just a prudential or pragmatic decision but one with ethical repercussions,Overall offers a wide-ranging exploration of how we might think systematically and deeply about this fundamental aspect of human life. Writing from a feminist perspective, she also acknowledges the inevitably gendered nature of the decision; the choice has different meanings, implications, and risks for women than it has for men.
After considering a series of ethical approaches to procreation, and finding them inadequate or incomplete, Overall offers instead a novel argument. Exploring the nature of the biological parent-child relationship — which is not only genetic but also psychological, physical, intellectual, and moral — she argues that the formation of that relationship is the best possible reason for choosing to have a child.
"…Overall is clearly invested in making her work accessible to a range of readers. Given the current national conversation about reproductive rights, I wish work likeOverall's was not only accessible, but required reading." — TammyOler, Bitch
Series Foreword ix
Acknowledgments xi
1 Introduction 1
2 Reproductive Freedom, Autonomy, and Reproductive Rights 19
3 When Prospective Parents Disagree 35
4 Deontological Reasons for Having Children 57
5 Consequentialist Reasons for Having Children 71
6 Not "Better Never to Have Been" 95
7 An Obligation Not to Procreate? 117
8 Illness, Impairment, and the Procreation Decision 149
9 Overpopulation and Extinction 173
10 Procreation, Values, and Identity 203
Notes 221
References 237
Index 247
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Posted July 22, 2012
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Overview
In contemporary Western society, people are more often called upon to justify the choice not to have children than they are to supply reasons for having them. In this book, ChristineOverall maintains that the burden of proof should be reversed: that the choice to have children calls for more careful justification and reasoning than the choice not to. Arguing that the choice to have children is not just a prudential or pragmatic decision but one with ethical repercussions,Overall offers a wide-ranging exploration ...