2. there are many ways to control birth rate, historically the united states government has forcibly infertilized (de-fertilized, made unfertile?) the females of populations they did not wish to see grow (native americans, the insane and mentally handicapped, etc).
Yep. A corrupt government, or a society that did not encourage the existence of NGOs (non-profit watchdog groups, that is) could easily sink into eugenics control. A number of scifi stories - often the more pendantic, fable-ish kind - have posited such a government. The women forced to undergo such a treatment, in those cases, were (obviously) *not* pleased. However, if I posit a shortage of birth control, it's feasible that those capable of giving birth, having done so, would be like many Chinese couples who opt for vasectomies/hysderectomies and from there on can have sex quite happily without risk of pregnancy.
I've been thinking that having a low percentage of the population able to bear children - albeit a percentage able to produce more children than the death rate can balance, still - would circumvent the wish to sterilize those seen as unfit. Those 'unfit' parents just wouldn't be in the lottery ring, and would be knocked out most likely by virtue of having chromosones that would indicate a congential birth defect in any children. Asuka raised the question last night of whether abortion would be legal; I'm not sure. I'm guessing it would be - if a couple accidentally conceives when it's not their turn, I've been positing some pretty severe consequences (such as forced sterilization) but I suspect it'd be more realistic to expect forced abortion, instead. That would indicate it's legal (to a certain extent, in some circumstances). Probably pretty expensive, though, as the govt does offer alternatives to unprotected sex.
Following that logic, I'd bet this would be a world where rapists would probably be forcibly sterilized, and failing that, emasculated via surgery. I have no idea what they'd do to women who raped a man (ignoring that currently some states still don't legally consider it possible for a woman to rape a man, but we'll not go there).
(Actually the idea of "woo, have a baby, and the govt pays for permanent birth control!" is rather amusing, considering how many parents I know who complain bitterly about reduced sex once the kid is born. If you'd spent three, six, even ten years married and unable to have sex except on rare occassions with your spouse, I'd think the time of parental leave to conceive a child would consist of pretty much screwing each other into every known surface...and once the kid is born, continuing like that for some time to come. Like finally having the lid off the proverbial steam kettle, perhaps. An amusing thought, at least.)
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Date: 22 Nov 2004 04:06 pm (UTC)Yep. A corrupt government, or a society that did not encourage the existence of NGOs (non-profit watchdog groups, that is) could easily sink into eugenics control. A number of scifi stories - often the more pendantic, fable-ish kind - have posited such a government. The women forced to undergo such a treatment, in those cases, were (obviously) *not* pleased. However, if I posit a shortage of birth control, it's feasible that those capable of giving birth, having done so, would be like many Chinese couples who opt for vasectomies/hysderectomies and from there on can have sex quite happily without risk of pregnancy.
I've been thinking that having a low percentage of the population able to bear children - albeit a percentage able to produce more children than the death rate can balance, still - would circumvent the wish to sterilize those seen as unfit. Those 'unfit' parents just wouldn't be in the lottery ring, and would be knocked out most likely by virtue of having chromosones that would indicate a congential birth defect in any children. Asuka raised the question last night of whether abortion would be legal; I'm not sure. I'm guessing it would be - if a couple accidentally conceives when it's not their turn, I've been positing some pretty severe consequences (such as forced sterilization) but I suspect it'd be more realistic to expect forced abortion, instead. That would indicate it's legal (to a certain extent, in some circumstances). Probably pretty expensive, though, as the govt does offer alternatives to unprotected sex.
Following that logic, I'd bet this would be a world where rapists would probably be forcibly sterilized, and failing that, emasculated via surgery. I have no idea what they'd do to women who raped a man (ignoring that currently some states still don't legally consider it possible for a woman to rape a man, but we'll not go there).
(Actually the idea of "woo, have a baby, and the govt pays for permanent birth control!" is rather amusing, considering how many parents I know who complain bitterly about reduced sex once the kid is born. If you'd spent three, six, even ten years married and unable to have sex except on rare occassions with your spouse, I'd think the time of parental leave to conceive a child would consist of pretty much screwing each other into every known surface...and once the kid is born, continuing like that for some time to come. Like finally having the lid off the proverbial steam kettle, perhaps. An amusing thought, at least.)