Procreation and Parenthood: The Ethics of Bearing and Rearing Children

Producing and rearing children are immensely important human activities. Procreation and Parenthood offers 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.

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

About the Author :
David Archard has been Professor of Philosophy and Public Policy at Lancaster University since 2003. Before that he taught at the Universities of Ulster and St Andrews. He has published widely in applied moral, political and legal philosophy, especially on the topics of children, family and state; and sexual morality and the law. He is Honorary Chair of the Society for Applied Philosophy. David Benatar is Professor and Head of Philosophy at the University of Cape Town. He is the author of Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming into Existence (Oxford, 2006).

Review :
Archard and Benatar have assembled six excellent essays, three concerning the ethics of creating life and three concerning the ethics of providing parental care. Each essay is clearly written and well argued, clearly situates its contribution in the larger literature, and makes an original contribution that advances the conversation of which it is a part. This makes the book both a must-read for those already working in these areas and an excellent point-of-entry for those who are not. Each chapter in this collection makes a welcome contribution to the growing literature in the field... the clarity of writing throughout, combined with the extensive background offered in the introduction, should make the volume accessible to anyone interested in the ethics of procreation and parenthood and the challenges presented by assisted reproductive technologies. [an] admirably clear and sharply written book. Each essay is clearly written and well argued, clearly situates its contribution in the larger literature, and makes an original contribution that advances the conversation of which it is a part. This makes the book both a must-read for those already working in these areas and an excellent point-of-entry for those who are not.