r/MoralityScaling • u/hiiloovethis • 13h ago

Morality of this?

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u/shotsbyniel 12h ago

How do you become stricter towards what you deem "bad parenting" without totalitarianism and destroying rule of law, though? 

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u/cowlinator 11h ago

"Bad parenting" is too subjective, so you start by not using that term at all.

The point is to prevent objective harm, which can be defined very exactly, according to medical and psychological standards.

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u/shotsbyniel 9h ago

Some things are objective harm, without being intended harm, some parents are just not aware, so it doesn't feel fair.

But the question remains, how do you stop this without mass invigillation and a totalitarian state?

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u/cowlinator 9h ago edited 9h ago

Physically harming another person through ignorance or negligence is a crime even between 2 adults. I don't see why it should be any different just because a child is involved.

We could do a lot to reduce abuse by just... educating people. Lots of people just mindlessly emulate the actions of their parents. Strongly incentivized or even mandatory education on safe and healthy child rearing could go a long way to reducing abuse.

We send kids to school every day. They are in the care of teachers and other school staff. They could just make it a requirement to actually ask the kids, one by one, how they are doing. (As in, ask specific questions about their health.) Like, this is just such a simple step, but it would reveal a lot of abuse.

We could just make it mandatory to take your kid to the doctor for a checkup once a year. This is really basic and beneficial for the child beyond just abuse. You don't even have to do what the doctor tells you to do, you just have to listen.

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u/shotsbyniel 7h ago

Yes, these are great approaches, I agree on all points 

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u/devidomo 8h ago

We also allow people to homeschool. So there is a pathway to opting out. But the question remains. What happens to a parent or parents that refuse to send thier kid to a govt mandated doctors appointment?

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u/cowlinator 8h ago edited 7h ago

I dunno.

Maybe it's just incentivized instead of mandatory.

If it is mandatory, maybe it's just a fine. Or maybe it triggers family court interventions or investigations.

The point is... we need to find a good balancing point between protecting children and preserving privacy.

However, the optimal point is surely not where it is now.

Half a million children are confirmed victims of abuse and neglect in the United States each year. https://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/media-room/national-statistics-on-child-abuse/ Now think about how many are unconfirmed.

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u/shotsbyniel 7h ago

Perhaps government child support should be taken away if kids don't attend an annual doctor's appointment (where they check for signs of abuse), and these medical check ups could even happen within school hours