Procreation and Parenthood The Ethics of Bearing and Rearing Children [Hardcover]

Producing and rearing children are immensely important human activities.Procreation and Parenthoodoffers new and original essays by leading philosophers on some of the main ethical issues raised by these activities. An Introduction supplies an accessible overview of the current debates. Individual chapters then take up particular problems such as: the morality of bringing people into existence; what limits there might be on a person's freedom to reproduce; whether human beings need to ensure that they only create the best possible children; whether there is a conflict between justice and parents' devotion of time and money to their own children; and, whether parents acquire their role because of their intention to do so or because they are responsible for bringing children into being.

Preface
1. Introduction,David Benatar & David Archard
2. In defence of genethical parity,Tim Bayne
3. An ordinary chance of a desirable existence,Mike Parker
4. The limits of reproductive freedom,David Benatar
5. The obligations and responsibilities of parenthood,David Archard
6. Parental responsibilities in an unjust world,Colin McLeod
7. Willing parents: A voluntarist account of parental role obligations,Elizabeth Brake

As the editors note, the book aims not so much at providing a comprehensive overview of the main ethical approaches to procreation and parenthood, but rather to add some novel contributions to the existing literature. This does not mean that the book is reserved for a specialised audience. For those who are not familiar with the topic, the editors have included an introductory section specifically intended to situate the various essays within the broader debate. And even taken separately, each contribution does a particularly good job of framing the context and the relevance of the particular arguments it develops, making it possible for the reader to criticalll.