Table Of Content

Why Have Children? Basic Bioethics Arthur Caplan, editor A complete list of the books in the Basic Bioethics series appears at the back of this book. Why Have Children? The Ethical Debate Christine Overall The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England © 2012 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and re- trieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. MIT Press books may be purchased at special quantity discounts for business or sales pro- motional use. For information, please email [email protected] or write to Spe- cial Sales Department, The MIT Press, 55 Hayward Street, Cambridge, MA 02142. This book was set in Sabon by the MIT Press. Printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Overall, Christine, 1949– Why have children? : the ethical debate / Christine Overall. p. cm. — (Basic bioethics) Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 978-0-262-01698-8 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Human reproduction—Moral and ethical aspects. I. Title. QP251.O85 2012 176—dc23 2011024312 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For Tabitha Bernard and her daughter, Arden Noor Khan, with love and appreciation Contents Series Foreword ix Acknowledgments xi 1 Introduction 1 2 Reproductive Freedom, Autonomy, and Reproductive Rights 19 3 When Prospective Parents Disagree 35 4 Deontological Reasons for Having Children 57 5 Consequentialist Reasons for Having Children 71 6 Not “Better Never to Have Been” 95 7 An Obligation Not to Procreate? 117 8 Illness, Impairment, and the Procreation Decision 149 9 Overpopulation and Extinction 173 10 Procreation, Values, and Identity 203 Notes 221 References 237 Index 247 Series Foreword Glenn McGee and I developed the Basic Bioethics series and collaborated as series coeditors from 1998 to 2008. In fall 2008 and spring 2009, the series was reconstituted, with a new editorial board and under my sole editorship. I am pleased to present the thirtieth book in the series. The Basic Bioethics series makes innovative works in bioethics avail- able to a broad audience and introduces seminal scholarly manuscripts, state-of-the-art reference works, and textbooks. Topics engaged include the philosophy of medicine, advancing genetics and biotechnology, end- of-life care, health and social policy, and the empirical study of biomedi- cal life. Interdisciplinary work is encouraged. Arthur Caplan Basic Bioethics Series Editorial Board Joseph J. Fins Rosamond Rhodes Nadia N. Sawicki Jan Helge Solbakk