Lab b4: Abortion, Adoption & Children Rights
Abortion, Adoption & Children Rights
On earth, politicians put their idea into laws and the police enforces them. On OboxPlanet, these questions have different answers for different individuals, communities, and societies. There are no state dictates and there is much more flexibility on OboxPlanet.
Adoption.
The facts are simple and the same on OboxPlanet as on earth. Some people have kids they don’t want, and others want kids they don’t have. But while on earth, politicians and bureaucrats decide which kids may go to whom, on OboxPlanet, it is a flourishing business. And it has huge advantages compared to the state monopoly solution on earth.
Let’s say you have a kid you don’t want, or you are looking for a kid. On the OboxPlanet, you have many institutions that want to help you. Some are for profit; others are run by charitable institutions. All of them are competing for your attention and this means they want to give you the best possible service. And this always means that the wellbeing of the kids have a top priority, for one simple reason: competition. Adoption companies are probably among the most scrutinized of all businesses on the OboxPlanet. A critical press, competing companies and “kids care” charitable institutions will keep a close watch on what happens to the kids. Any institution that treats kids carelessly would immediately have a bad press and be off the market.
Do some mothers make babies for profit? Of course, we are talking about the freedom to decide on how to best run your life. In this case, we are talking about a planned pregnancy. It is presumably what this mother believes is the best plan for her life and who is to decide that better than herself? Looking at it another way, it is very similar to the surrogate mothers we already have on today’s earth.
While, once again, there is no perfection in human affairs, the differences between OboxPlanet and our world are startling. Thousands if not millions of abortions on earth are not aborted on the OboxPlanet, because there is value in every kid that is born. There are no abortions for fear that a kid would put the mother in economic distress. And there is much less child abuse because it is usually unwanted kids that get abused and they can easily be given up for adoption. And there is no need for orphanage facilities.
Children’s rights and child labor
On earth, the state decides under what circumstances social services take kids away from their parents and what happens with the kids. The state also decides at what fixed age a kid becomes a sovereign human being. When we look at what really happens, it often is a tragic example of the principle “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”.
How are things different on the OboxPlanet, without states and social services?
One great “relief valve” are adoption and caretaker institutions. It is common that when neighbors observe that parents are overwhelmed by their role as parents, they inform an adoption agency, all of which are happy to propose several solutions. Some of the most common programs are the classic adoption solution, temporary caretaker programs or shared parenting.
When do children become adults? We all know that some kids can stand on their own feet at 12, others need assistance much longer if not for life. On OboxPlanet, there are several answers. One of them is to look at “factual independence” in the sense that when a kid makes decisions which leads to an in-fact independence from his or her parents, they are considered a self-supporting, sovereign individual. This can be the case when a kid finds a job and moves out. It is also widely accepted that when a kid runs away and finds new host parents, forcing him or her back to his original parents by force must be done with utmost care. There are several charity organizations which take care of such cases, and many lawyers work on them pro bono, without pay. There are no laws against child labor on OboxPlanet. Needless to mention, physical abuse of kids is inacceptable and there is almost no need for kids to work for survival. Generally, kids start getting involved in the workplace much earlier. Parttime “apprenticeship” is part of most educational programs. This leads to a much more entrepreneurial spirit on OboxPlanet.
Abortion and assisted suicide.
For some people these are topics they feel very strongly about. They choose communities which require people to follow some pre-agreed rules. Others choose communities which leave the decisions up to the individuals.
Of course, there are no tax-financed information centers or clinics but there are many different private support groups and institutions that help people in all kinds of ways. This means that nobody gets forced, via taxes, to finance something he does not believe in.
On the OboxPlanet, there are neither welfare programs nor “victimless crimes.” Consequently, people tend to be more self-responsible, conservative, and peaceful. This societal structure contributes to a lower incidence of unwanted pregnancies and, subsequently, minimizes the issue of abortions and problematic adoptions. We will delve into this topic more thoroughly below.
Abortion, adoption and childrens rights
These questions are about fundamental issues: What is life? When does it begin? Are children considered property, and if so, are there limits to how much power parents have over them?
On Earth, there are no consistent answers to these questions. Different religions and societies have different beliefs, and these beliefs have changed significantly over time.
The Obox planet also lacks uniform opinions. However, unlike Earth, where governments establish rules and enforce them with laws, fines, and the threat of imprisonment, the Obox planet has no central authority. On the Obox planet, common standards can only be established through voluntary agreement.
For example, there are communities on the Obox planet that don’t permit adoptions, abortions, or assisted suicide, and they expel those who violate these rules. This results in more diversity and smaller areas with shared norms on the Obox planet.
All in all, the OboxPlanet is a more conservative and peaceful world for two reasons.
Firstly, the “Zero Aggression Principle” reigns supreme on the OboxPlanet.
On Earth, while violence is generally considered wrong, our society relies on the government’s power to use force when necessary. A great part of all violence stems from “victimless crime” laws like drug prohibitions and the corresponding gang wars and police corruption and brutality. On the OboxPlanet, there are no states and violence is economically costly in all areas of life. People on the OboxPlanet are less accepting of violence, including towards children and animals.
The second notable difference is that individuals on the Obox planet tend to be more conservative and self-reliant.
On Earth, social welfare programs often hinder individuals from breaking free from the “welfare trap.” Subsidies for fatherless families and the persistence of irresponsible lifestyles in certain ghettos span generations. Even in the middle class, the full consequences of irresponsibility may not be fully shouldered, as programs covering abortions, detox programs, accident care costs, etc., often exist irrespective of the reasons behind them. Moreover, “marriage penalties” in the tax code discourage family formation. Conversely, on the Obox planet, without such state programs and laws, a more conservative lifestyle tends to prevail, resulting in fewer unwanted pregnancies, less instances of child abuse, and smoother adoption processes.
In summary, on Earth, contentious issues lead to heated debates and political disputes that can escalate into violence, as the enforcement of laws often involves the imposition of one group’s will over another’s through legal force. The winners take it all and enforce their will through the legal coercion of the state.
On the OboxPlanet, the concept of using threats of violence to impose views doesn’t even cross people’s minds. This results in a more diverse, innovative, conservative and peaceful world.
What experiences on Earth, past and present, help us understand life on the OboxPlanet?
As mentioned above and in other discussions, laws pertaining to personal matters have a significant impact on individuals’ lives. Questions about the permissibility of abortion, the ability to adopt children, and the effects of these laws on the welfare of children, particularly unwanted children, are life-changing decisions.
The reality is that laws in these areas are arbitrary and often counterproductive. However, one potential safety valve exists: political decentralization, different laws in different areas which allow f.ex. for medical tourism. People may choose to seek reproductive services such as surrogate mothers, and even children for adoption, in other countries where regulations may differ. Additionally, individuals may travel to seek abortion services that may not be available or restricted in their home countries.
This is a topic that hits close to home. Without medical tourism, our two wonderful kids wouldn’t exist. Swiss laws prohibited it in our case, because of age and the time constraints in in vitro fertilization. We therefore count on our kids to become ardent proponents of political decentralization…
Abortion, adoption and other personal matters are areas where the state has no role. Like on the OboxPlanet. Period.
Now it’s your turn.
What is your opinion regarding adoption, children’s rights, and child labor? Do you think your point of view can more easily be realized on earth or on OboxPlanet?
Things we could learn and implement from the OboxPlanet:
In personal moral questions like abortion, adoption, state functionaries have no moral right to force their views on others. None. It’s really that simple.
As long as we have states, let’s decentralise decision-making. Instead of Washington, Brussels, Moscow or Paris, let the communities decide and make rules.
