I agree with gist of the letter. Like animals, some humans need to be neutered too.
ST Forum, 25 July 2008
IMPROVING BIRTH RATES
Procreation has everything to do with affordability
I REFER to last Saturday's letter by five mothers, each with many children, 'Extend benefits to fifth and subsequent children'.
While the Government should do more to arrest the falling birth rate, I absolutely disagree on extending benefits to bigger families. Contrary to what the five mothers said, procreation has everything to do with affordability. If you ask the Government to contribute, sad to say, you are already in way over your head.
We live in Singapore, a small island with no natural resources, so we can survive only by being pragmatic. How many times have we seen couples struggle to raise a big family reported in the newspapers?
There was a security guard who fed his family of four children with just a packet of rice for lunch - that's one packet of rice shared by six. Then there was a family of criminals whose offences ranged from theft to drug trafficking. The list goes on and on.
When your family grows too big, there are many constraints. First, the attention parents can give to each child becomes limited. Second, each child's development is hindered by its parents' limited financial resources.
I am not saying having many children is bad. It's bad only when you know it's not economically viable. No matter how much you love children, it should not be an excuse to have as many as you like.
This is the difference between humans and animals. We exercise constraint and use our judgment. That's why we can have family planning but animals cannot.
I agree with the Government: Those who can should have more, but those who cannot should exercise restraint. What is the point of having more children, when you cannot raise them properly? Eventually, the innocent children are the ones who suffer.
Chua Boon Hou
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2 comments:
Do you think the gahmen is really concerned about procreation for the sake of "family happiness" or simply that it wants replacement to keep making $$ to maintain their big fat salaries!
Read Human Rights And The Government Baby Incentives – Part 1
The mindset of the PAP ministers are conditioned towards "economy" i.e. $$ talks, anything else is "mundane" and "waste of my time"!
Some time ago, a group of caregivers met up with our MP in Meet-the-People session, and he was visibly annoyed when he heard it was about cats. He said..there are pressing bread and butter issues waiting for him!"
However we MUST never be intimidated to feel that we are "small people" because we show concern for non "bread and butter" matters in our community!
We pride ourselves of not being brainwashed with the majority into thinking that materialistic possession is all that matters as a Singaporean.
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